On the Walk Home
by Kend0.32
Summary: After a disappointing night at the last night of summer beach party, Haley decides to walk home. Something happens that night that will leave her scarred, and there is only one person who can save her, but will he notice too late? And will the repercussions of the night bring her and her knight in shining armor back together or will it only drive them apart? NALEY. Rated M
1. Chapter 1

Summary: After a disappointing night at the last night of summer beach party, Haley decides to walk home. Something happens that night that will leave her scarred, and there is only one person who can save her, but will he notice too late? And will the repercussions of the night bring her and her knight in shining armor back together or will it only drive them apart?

 **So this is my first fanfiction! I'm kinda excited and we will see where this goes! I know the first chapter is kind of short, but it sets up the setting to the story! i have a general idea on how the story is going to go, so bare with me!**

 **Disclaimer: all characters belong to Mark Schwann**

Chapter One: Another Night Alone

The large bonfire crackled as sparks danced among the happy drunk teenagers. Everyone was dancing or had a cup in hand, enjoying the last night of summer before the highly anticipated senior year. Blaring music and laughter filled the air as the joyful atmosphere continued into the night. Looking at the crowd, she knew that her roommate Brooke Davis would be nothing but satisfied with the turnout of the end of summer beach party. However, Haley James Scott didn't see the party as a success. Then again, she was sitting alone on the worn out couch that had been brought out up for the night, red solo cup in hand, drinking away her miseries. She knew she had made a mistake going on tour the spring before, but coming back she felt nothing but hostility from her husband and most of her friends.

After her conversation with Nathan, the one where he said he was unsure of what he wanted with their relationship, all Haley wanted to do was go back to the apartment, eat a tub of Ben & Jerry's, and call it a night. But no. She had no car and Brooke was her ride home. Sitting in misery, she watched as her best friend Lucas chatted up Peyton, the DJ of the night. _When will that boy ever learn_ , she thought. _All he talked about this summer is Brooke, Brooke, Brooke. If you want her back, maybe don't spend the whole night with the girl you cheated on her with!_ Haley knew Lucas and Peyton's relationship was completely platonic, but the giant dent in her love life led her to her snarky thoughts.

Turning her line of vision to the right, she saw her a sight that made her heart drop. On the other side of the bonfire was the love of her life, chatting it up with some red head bimbo in an all to revealing bikini. It was obvious that the girl was flirting with him, resting her hand on his bicep and constantly giggling. And while Nathan didn't seem to be reciprocating the affectionate banter, he still let this chick continue on! Tears welled up in Haley's eyes and a lump began growing rapidly in her throat. Why would Nathan want someone like her when he has so many girls who want him that look like that? And it's doubtful that any of them will leave him for a rock tour anytime soon. All her old insecurities rushed back into her mind as her heart grew heavy. Sighing, Haley checked her watch. _9:53._ Fed up with the scene and the night in general, Haley got out of her seat to find her wild roommate. It was no surprise when she found her in a huddle of shirtless boys, sipping on a beer.

"Brooke can I talk to you for a second?" Haley requested, grabbing the brunette's arm and dragging her away from the eye candy.

"What the hell Haley?! Couldn't you see I was busy?" a definitely drunk Brooke replied, nothing but annoyance filling her voice.

Haley rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. "Look, I really want to go home, Brooke. I'm having an awful time. Nathan won't talk to me, Lucas is socializing with everyone, and Peyton won't stop sending me death glares!"

Holding up her cup, Brooke giggled, saying, "Come on Tutor Girl! Have a couple more drinks and you won't even care anymore! The night is still young and I'm not leaving till at least 12:00!"

"What! Brooke no I don't want another drink, I just—"

 _Splash!_ Cut off mid sentence, Haley squeezed her eyes shut as a warm liquid traveled down her head and face. Wiping what she determined to be beer out of her eyes, she slowly turned around to face the culprit.

"You sure you don't want a drink? Looks like you got one anyway, oops."

Haley wanted to do nothing but smack the smirk off the curly blonde's head. "What the hell Peyton?!"

"Not like you didn't deserve it," the brooding artist replied.

"What the hell did I ever do to you? Why are you treating me like shit every time you see me?!" Haley cried out in anger and frustration.

The curly blonde rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Like you don't know! You left your husband here to go on tour with Chris Keller of all people! After kissing him! And now you waltz back into Tree Hill as if nothing has happened!" Looking over the honey blonde's shoulder, Peyton saw a sight that made the smirk reform on her face. "Although, it looks like Nathan is getting along just fine."

Hearing this, Haley whipped around to see her husband with the bimbo again, only this time they were much closer, sitting on the couch she had just been on, laughing and chatting away. It was obvious that Nathan was approaching drunk, but it hurt all the same. No longer able to hold in her tears, Haley walked away from the two best friends, with nothing but a single wave of her backhand.

Climbing to the top of the sandhill, she made her way to the street to begin her trek home. Absolutely alone, she spared one glance back at the beach to see all her friends getting alone just fine without her. Maybe she should have never come back to Tree Hill, it seemed as though everyone was better off without her. Letting these thoughts cloud her mind, Haley continued the walk home alone. She walked past the movie theater that she and Lucas often went to, the one that Nathan and his gang of followers had kidnapped her best friend at over eight months ago. _How much simpler those times were_ , she thought to herself when she felt someone grab her arm and yank her into the alleyway, to then be pushed roughly against the cool brick wall. Eyes wide, Haley let out a gasp, mixed with recognition and complete and utter fear.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I was really surprised at the response to the first chapter! Thanks and I will try to update twice a week!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 2: Former Foes and Fears

 _Back on the beach…_

Sipping on a drink and socializing, Nathan seemed to be having a good time to all his peers. Yet inside, he was miserable. This school year was already starting off on the wrong foot. He was once again on bad terms with his brother, he and Haley were estranged, and not to mention to red head following him around. Speak of the devil…

"Rachel, what are you doing?" He asked the girl who was constantly by his side.

"What do you mean? I just want to spend some quality time with you," she replied, running her arm along his bicep. "Which would be really quality if we got out of here and went back to my house."

Brushing her off, Nathan shook his head. "No Rachel, I told you, I'm not interested in you."

Scoffing, Rachel tossed some fallen locks over her shoulder. "Somehow I don't believe that."

"Hate to burst your bubble, but I'm in love with someone else," Nathan retorted.

"Well, it would just be some fun. Come on, your girlfriend never has—"

"I'm married." That seemed to shut her up real fast.

"W-What?"

"Yeah, I'm married, and if you'll excuse me, I need to go find my wife." With that, Nathan left Rachel standing alone on the beach, heading back to the fire. He felt guilty about how he had been treating Haley since they both returned home this summer, but he honestly couldn't bare another heartbreak. It nearly killed him the first time, evidence of that lying in the scar on the left side of his chest. _It's not like I can avoid her forever_ , Nathan thought. _I mean we have generally the same friends, and we will probably have a class or two this year. Might as well make the most of it and at least be friends._ Approaching the bonfire, Nathan saw Lucas and Brooke, flirting themselves to oblivion, Peyton spinning one of her "loser rock" records, and Tim attempting miserably to pick up some girls.

"Hey guys, have you seen Haley? I need to talk to her," he said, gathering his friends' attention.

Lucas glared at his younger brother. "Depends on what you have to say to her."

"Look, I just want to apologize to her. It's gonna be a long year if we all hate each other. I just want to be friends with her for now, maybe we can reconcile down the road, but—"

"Hold up!" Brooke interrupted, "Did you just use the word 'reconcile' in a sentence? How do you even know a word like that?"

"Jeez Davis, I'm not that stupid. And you seem to forget that I married my tutor," Nathan commented back, rolling his eyes. "Back to the point, has anyone seen her?"

"Yeah, she started walking home like 20 minutes ago," Brooke answered. "She's probably already at the apartment at this point."

"That or she hopped on another tour bus." Nathan winced at Peyton's snarky comment, who receive a glare from both Lucas and Brooke which told her to 'knock it off.'

"Anyway," Brooke continued, "She's probably already in bed. Maybe you can talk to her tomorrow?"

"I can't. Moving back in with Dan, he's getting back on my ass about training, and I doubt he will see Haley as a valid excuse to dip out."

Pondering, Brooke attempted to come up with another time he could talk to her roommate, knowing how desperately Haley wanted to be on good terms with her husband. "I guess you will just have to wait till school on Monday."

"Yeah, I guess so," Nathan solemnly answered, walking back to get a drink, brushing past his red head stalker, who had finally processed the information about her eye candy being married. _So what if he's tied down, I always get what I want, and I want Nathan Scott._

 _Back in the alley way…_

 _Haley continued the walk home alone. She walked past the movie theater that she and Lucas often went to, the one that Nathan and his gang of followers had kidnapped her best friend at over eight months ago. How much simpler those times were, she thought to herself when she felt someone grab her arm and yank her into the alleyway, to then be pushed roughly against the cool brick wall. Eyes wide, Haley let out a gasp, mixed with recognition and complete and utter fear._

"Chris?"

The spiky haired boy smirked. "Hi Haley, long time no see."

 _FLASHBACK_

 _As Haley packed her bags, silent tears fell from her face, longing to be home with her husband already. She knew he was hurt and probably wouldn't embrace her with open arms, but Haley couldn't stay on the tour one more second without him. She NEEDED him. Nathan was her always and forever, and single handedly she had jeopardized all of that. Finishing stuffing her clothes in her suitcase, a knock sounded from her door and a person entered the room._

" _Chris, what are you doing here?" she questioned distractedly. She honestly had more important matters on her hands._

" _What's this I hear about you leaving?" he sneered._

" _I need to go home, back to my friends, to my family, to my husband. I'm sorry but I can't stay on this tour any longer. It's just too much."_

 _Chris was seething. How dare she leave him. Doesn't she know how much he cares about her. This entire tour he has been there for her, and she packs up and leaves like it's nothing! Doing the only thing he can think of doing in that moment, he reaches out and smacks her across the face, leaving a bright red mark immediately on her cheek._

 _Shocked by what just happened, Haley cried out in pain. Her mind simply couldn't process what had just occurred. Chris, someone she thought was her friend, had hit her!_

" _You don't get to leave me here. I have been there for you this entire time, not Nathan! And now you're running back to him and I just—" So angered, Chris aimed another blow to her stomach, knocking the breath out of her and making her fall to the floor upon impact. "I hope you have a good life, Haley Scott." With his last remark, he kicks Haley in the stomach and storms out of the room._

 _Sobbing at the events that had just occurred, Haley grabbed her bag and dashed out of the room, hoping never to have to encounter Chris Keller again, as long as she may live._

"Chris, what are you d-doing here?" Haley questioned, shaking with fear of the scrawny man in front of her.

Chuckling, Chris tightened his grip on the small blonde's shoulders. "Funny story actually. You see, when you decided to leave the tour, the managers thought I was no longer of any use to them since I couldn't perform "When the Stars Go Blue," so they released me from the tour. So after a summer of failing to get any other producers to actually listen to my music, I thought I'd pay you a visit, you know, after all you've done for me," he spit out, heavy sarcasm on the last part.

"Chris, I'm so sorry. I never wanted that to happen to you, but—"

Chris cut her off with a strong punch to the face. "Shut up you stupid bitch! It's all your fault and you deserve everything coming your way!" He continued to hit and kick the poor girl, until he ultimately decided to choke her. Just when her airways closed and she could no longer breathe, car headlights swept past the alley and Chris dropped her and took off in the fear of being caught. Slumping against the brick, Haley rejoiced that help had arrived, but everything went black before she could realize that no one was coming to rescue her.

 _Back at the apartment…_

After the party, Brooke walked in tipsy and tired, most of the effects of the alcohol wearing off. Never turning on the lights in her bedroom, she immediately got under the covers of her round bed, succumbing to sleep easily. Before she lost all consciousness, she whispered, "Good night Haley," failing to realize that her roommate was not even in the apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow thanks for all the reviews and follows! I'm glad that people are liking it so far and thanks for some of the ideas! I will definitely try to make the chapters longer! Sorry it took so long to update; I was in North Carolina reaching my inner Nathan Scott visiting Duke University. I even snuck into Cameron Indoor Stadium and it was a-maz-ing. Okay anyway on with the story… Leave reviews I'm open to suggestions!**

Chapter 3: The Morning After

Brooke woke up feeling a slight hangover. Groaning, she looked around the room to double check her surroundings, only to notice Haley's bed made, just like every morning. Looking over at the clock, it read 8:30. _Always the early bird that one,_ Brooke thought. Going to the kitchen, she started to pour herself coffee when a massive headache came over her. Squeezing her head, Brooke walked over to the bathroom. _I am NEVER drinking again!_ Looking in the medicine cabinet, Brooke paused, noticing Haley's birth control. The pill for the day before still resided in the little packet. _What? Haley always takes her birth control right before she goes to bed and right after she brushes her teeth… Why wouldn't she have taken it last night? Surely she didn't forget, I mean this is Haley we are talking about!_

Brooke stalked back into the kitchen to continue her investigation when she realized for the first time that the coffee pot was full. _Haley always has coffee in the morning! She's practically addicted!_ Her suspicion grew when she found the chain lock still in place from where she put it last night. _That can't be done from the outside of the apartment, so Haley couldn't have left._

"Haley! Haley!" Brooke shouted, praying for a response from somewhere in the small, one-bedroom apartment, though she knew it was unlikely.

"Tutor girl, this seriously not funny!"

Once again, silence was the only response. Close to hysterical, Brooke sprinted back into the bedroom, throwing back Haley's blankets and feeling the sheets. They were chilled, and Brooke's stomach dropped. She now knew that no one slept in that bed last night.

Grabbing her phone, Brooke raced to dial her roommate. "C'mon Haley, pick up, pick up, pick up…"

"Hi, you've reached Hale-"

"Damnit!" screamed Brooke. How was she supposed to deal with this? What does someone do in this situation? Panicking, she called the first person she could think of to help her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Brooke. We have a problem."

 _In the alley…_

Sensing light, Haley slowly opened her eyes, only to feel pain when doing so. Her head was pounding and her whole body was throbbing, and Haley knew it wasn't from the drinks she had the night before. Looking around, she found herself on the concrete ground in an alley. Her mind raced as she remembered the events of last night. _Nathan. The red head. Alcohol. Peyton. Chris._ Chris. Haley's breathing turned ragged as she remembered the encounter. Tears slipped down her face as she realized she was wrong when she thought someone was coming to rescue her.

Slowly, Haley picked herself up, pain surfacing from all her limbs, and using the wall for support, limped out of alley. Suddenly, water started to fall on her and she realized it was raining. The dark clouds and drizzle made her less conspicuous to cars on the road. She made her way to Karen's Café, slipping in the back and taking the raincoat she always left in her work locker. Slipping it over her dripping clothes, she put up the hood and walked out of the café with her head down, concealing her injuries completely from everyone. A car driving too fast sprayed up water, some hitting Haley. _You'd think people would be more cautious in this kind of weather,_ Haley thought. If she had picked up her head, she would have seen what car it was and would have immediately known who the driver was. If only if she knew what he was speeding for.

 _At the apartment…_

Brooke was pacing the floor. Where the hell was her roommate? It was now 9:30 and she had yet to hear from her. Panic was an understatement to how Brooke was feeling. A sharp pounding on the door startled Brooke, but she was filled with hope thinking it could be Haley. _Maybe she lost her key._ Opening the door, she was met by not her 5'4, honey blonde hair, brown eyed roommate, but a 6'2 blue eyed and raven haired Nathan Scott, and his face reflected utter fear and anger. Brooke let out a deflated sigh. "Oh it's you."

"Don't 'oh it's you' me Brooke! Need I remind you that YOU called ME to share the information that my wife didn't return home last night and you can't get a hold of her!"  
"Well, maybe if you, I don't know, lived with you wife, you would know if she was home! And since when are you calling her your wife?!"

"Brooke, I've never denied my marriage to Haley and I never will. And about living with her, how come you aren't with Lucas yet? I mean he apologized right?"

Brooke knew she was stuck. Nathan was in the same position as her, except Haley just went on tour and didn't hook up with Nathan's best friend behind his back. Which, thinking about it, would be Tim, and anyone with common sense wouldn't get with Tim, so Nathan was safe there. Shaking her head, Brooke recollected her thoughts. "Let's just figure out where Haley is, okay? We can debate this later. Luke should be here soon. I called him right after I got off the phone with you."

The duo sat on the couch, nothing but silence filling the air. It was 5 minutes before it was broken.

"Brooke, what if she's not okay? What if someone hurt her or worse, if she's—"

"Stop that thinking right now. Haley has to be alive, okay?"

"I'm trying to be positive, but what if Brooke? She thinks I hate her and that I will never forgive her. The last time I told her I loved her was the night before I left for High Flyers! She's never gonna know how I feel and how sorry I am for making her choose between me and music! I can't lose her again Brooke, I just got her back!" Placing his head in his hands, Nathan started to shake with sobs. Brooke truly felt for her friend. She witnessed first hand what Haley leaving did to him, and losing her again might actually kill him. Brooke pulled Nathan into a comforting hug, rubbing his back to calm him down when the door opened.

"Well at least now I know why you don't want to be exclusive with me! You have the hots for my brother!" Lucas joked, entering the apartment. His laughter quickly ended when Nathan looked up with his teary eyes, reddening around the rims. His heart broke for his little brother.

"Nathan… she's gonna be okay, I promise," the older Scott assured.

"Luke you don't know that! She could be dead in a ditch somewhere!" Nathan yelled, panic evident in his voice as tears continued to pour from his eyes.

"Have a little faith, Boy Toy," Brooke commented lightly, trying to release the tension and anxiety that filled the room. "Maybe she stayed with Peyton?"

"Even you know that's unlikely, Brooke, and besides, I wouldn't have let her leaving ass stay," Peyton remarked as she waltzed through the door.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, who invited you here? This is a 'Find Haley' crew and you clearly couldn't care less," replied Brooke, surprised by the arrival of her best friend.

"I invited her. I figured we could use all hands on deck," Lucas added. The look on Brooke's face clearly showed she didn't approve of her Broody's self made decision.

"Oh yeah?" she remarked. "How do Nathan and I know that you guys didn't kidnap her and have her locked up in Peyton's creepy basement as we speak?!"

"Brooke, that is completely illogical! Haley is my best friend!"

"Well I was Peyton's best friend, but that didn't stop her from hooking up with you when we were dating!" Brooke's exclamation brought a new wave of tension into the room. Lucas and Peyton looked down guiltily, and Nathan just felt uncomfortable being present during the love triangle's drama.

Brooke knew she was a bit out of line, after all, she already forgave Peyton and Lucas for their actions. Nathan prompting her earlier just put it back on her mind. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just really stressed because my roommate is MISSING, rent is due tomorrow, and I am suffering from a killer hangover right now."

"Well, has anyone called the police?" Peyton suggested.

"Good idea P. Sawyer! I mean, Haley is a minor and they have to start looking for her immediately!"

"I already did," added Nathan. "Since I'm emancipated and Haley and I are married, we are considered adults in the state's eyes. They can't start searching till 24 hours since she went missing, which was at 10pm last night if anyone hasn't seen her since."

The group looked dejected. How were they supposed to find the missing girl now?

"Who knows maybe she actually hopped on another tour bus?" Peyton remarked to her joke last night with completely inappropriate timing. Brooke and Lucas gave her death glares, while Nathan's face showed a glimpse of pain and then fueled anger.

"Shut the hell up Peyton! Haley is missing MISSING! Obviously you don't seem to care so how about you get the hell away from us since you aren't offering plausible situations!" he screamed at the curly blonde.

Peyton remained where she was, staring Nathan down. Doesn't he realize her anger for the singer stems from the pain she caused her husband when she left? "It's not your apartment anymore, so you can't tell me what to do."

Nathan's face became red with rage. "If you won't leave, I will. I'm going to look for my wife, and anyone who actually cares for her well being can join me," he stated firmly, and walked towards the door.

"Nate, wait up, I'm coming too!" his brother called, following him out the door. Brooke looked at the Scott boys, knowing her heart wanted to follow them, but logically thinking, she withheld from doing so.

"As much as I want to actively search for her, I'm gonna hang back. If she comes home, I'll call you immediately. Let me know if you find anything, okay?"

The boys agreed and were out the door, leaving the two best friends to their own devices. "P. Sawyer, I really think you should leave. You and Haley aren't on good terms right now and I don't think she will need the excess stress on her when she gets back," Brooke whispered quietly, not wanting to hurt her best friend's feelings.

Peyton scoffed. "Everything is about poor Haley now isn't it? Poor Haley this, poor Haley that, whatever, I couldn't care less and I honestly don't want to be here when she comes back, IF she comes back!" With that, the curly blonde stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door shut.

"And then there was one," Brooke said to herself.

 _Meanwhile with the boys…_

Driving towards the downtown area, Lucas and Nathan were keeping an eye out for Haley, hoping to come across her. Nathan was speeding down the slippery road when he got too close to the curb and the spinning tires sprayed up water, splashing a pedestrian in a raincoat.

"Nathan what the hell?" Lucas exclaimed. "Slow down!"

"Oops. Sorry Luke but I have more important things to worry about than pedestrians on the side of the road!"

The rain was starting to get worse, so the boys decided to pull over for the time being, heading into the Café. As they walked in, Karen called them over to the counter.

"Now isn't this a surprise! You too done going at each other's throats now?"

"We decided to team up for a mutual cause, Mom," Lucas answered, rolling his eyes at his mother's antics.

"And what would that mutual cause be?" Karen questioned.

"Haley is missing!" Nathan rushed out, realizing his brother's mother may have some information. "She walked home from the end of beach party alone last night and no one has seen her since! Has she come in at all today? Did she look hurt? Was she okay? I mean we have to find her! School starts tomorrow and that's like Haley's favorite day of the year! You know, since she's a nerd and all. Not saying that being a nerd is a bad thing, I did marry her after all…" he rambled on, barely taking a moment to breathe.

"Whoa slow down! You said Haley is missing? I haven't seen her at all today, she never clocked in for her shift this morning, but I did notice earlier that her raincoat was missing from her locker. Maybe she got caught in the rain and sneaked through the back to grab it," reasoned Karen.

"But then why wouldn't she stop to talk to you?" her son asked.

"Like I said, she never clocked in for her shift, maybe she felt guilty about it."  
The three leaned on the counter thinking. Suddenly, Lucas looked up. "What rain jacket was in her locker?"

"It was a pink one I got her for Christmas last year as a gag gift since she hates pink. It has a hood and pockets and it says Molly's Outlet on the back, why?"

The older Scott turned and smacked his brother on the shoulder. "Dude, that's the girl you splashed when you were speeding!"

"What!" Nathan cried, standing up so fast his stool fell back. He picked up the chair and headed for the door. "Are you coming?"

Just as Lucas was about to reply, his phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

 _At the apartment…_

Brooke was sitting in front of the door waiting when she hear a knock. Opening it, she came face to face with a sopping wet Haley whose hair covered her face.

"Haley! Oh my God I was so worried about you!" the brunette pulled the smaller girl into a crushing hug. But she immediately released her when she heard her roommate whimper in pain.

"Sorry Brooke, I'm just really sore. I'm gonna shower and go to bed." Walking past Brooke, Haley headed into the bedroom and shut the door. A confused but relieved Brooke looked on, but pulled out her phone and called up Lucas.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's me. Haley is home now, tell Nathan, but I don't think she's up for visitors right now. She just went straight for the bedroom."

"Okay as long as she's safe. I'll see you at school tomorrow, Pretty Girl?

"Of course! Bye Broody." With that, Brooke hung up the phone and sat in front of the TV, waiting for Haley to get in the shower so she could enter the bedroom. It was a stressful day and Brooke was exhausted. Making her way to their room, she crawled into bed. In the bathroom, Haley avoided the mirror, knowing exactly what she would see in her reflection. Putting on long sleeve pajamas which were rare in the North Carolina summer, she headed back into the room, shielding her uncovered bruises with her hair as she crawled into bed, hoping for tomorrow to hold off for a while.

 **That's it. For this chapter lol. Leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ekk sorry it's been a month I apologize! College apps have been kicking my ass but first deadline is done so I have time to write, yay! I will update again this week, and if not, early next week! Thanks for reading this story it honestly makes me so so happy! I love getting the reviews**

 **PLLLover1992 to answer your question, not he did not rape her, he just beat her. Thanks for asking!**

 **Naleyness to be seen in this chapter**

 _Brrring! Brrrrring!_ Haley groaned as she hit the off button on her alarm clock and turned to see the time. _6:00 AM_. Looking over at her roommate, she saw that Brooke didn't seem to be phased by the alarm and was still in dreamland, her snores filling the room.

Haley stumbled from her bed to the bathroom to get ready for the first day of school, but once she flicked on the light and saw her reflection, she didn't want to go anywhere.

The black and blue that outlined her eyes, nose and mouth were even darker than they were the day before, now that the bruises were fully developed. The bruises on her neck were fully visible and distinctively looked like fingers, choking her. Her arms were battered and her wrists seemed to be lined with dark bracelets, left behind by Chris's crushing grip.

Haley slid down the wall, tears staining her cheeks. There was no way she could cover up the marks, especially with the scorching heat outside. And it wasn't like she could miss school. It was the first day; someone would know something was wrong if she didn't go.

Pulling herself together, Haley curled her blonde locks and attempted her makeup the best she could, but it was useless. Taking a deep breath, she put on a red flowing tank, lined with cream flowers (A.N. the one from the first day in season 3) and a pair of jean shorts and walked out of the bathroom.

Brooke finally stirred from her slumber, stalking into the bathroom to get ready. After she finished, she headed into the kitchen to make her coffee. At the island stood Haley, sipping some coffee of her own and reading a magazine. Upon hearing Brooke's entrance, she made the mistake of looking up.

"AHH! OH MY GOD! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE!?"

"I… um… well… uh…" Haley panicked, not knowing what to tell Brooke. It wasn't that she didn't trust Brooke, but she didn't feel safe telling her about Chris. What if he found out and came to finish the job?

"What do you mean uh?! Something happened, now share!" Brooke knew she was being demanding and probably scaring Haley as well, but she was worried, afraid of what could have possibly happened to her roomie.

"I fell," Haley lied lamely.

"You fell. Fell? Where? How? When?"

"Um, the other night on my way home, I just, um, fell, um, down some stairs… near Karen's and… yeah."

Brooke seemed to be debating the idea, unable to see the marks on Haley's neck that would have blatantly shown she was lying, as they were strategically covered by the blond curls. _It is pretty plausible, I mean Haley is pretty clumsy,_ Brooke thought.

"Okay I believe you… for now."

An awkward tension filled the room. Neither roommate knew what to say, so they drank their coffee in silence. After a couple of minutes, Brooke picked up her bag and walked to the front door. "Ready to take on senior year?!" she exclaimed with her normal enthusiasm.

Haley playfully rolled her eyes and followed her roommate out the door. "Yeah, if I can live to see the end of it," she mumbled under her breath. It was going to be a long day.

 _At School…_

Brooke and Haley arrived at Tree Hill High in Brooke's baby blue bug, and together they walked to their lockers. Along the way, people greeted them and then not so subtly asked what was wrong with Haley's face. She repeated the same story she had told Brooke that morning, making it even more believable with each person. By the time it came to Lucas, she had it perfect.

"Haley, what happened to you?" questioned Luke, worry evident in his eyes.

"Nothing of huge concern. After the beach party, I went to the café to get something to eat and after I locked back up, I fell down the stairs and did myself some damage. I was in a lot of pain, so I went back in and stayed on one of the couches until the next morning when I walked home." The lie rolled off her tongue with ease, but she was scared to tell the truth.

She was surprised so many people bought the story, including two of the closest people she had, since there were so many holes in her improvised tale. She still had her hair tucked nicely around her neck, so no one had called her out on her bullshit of a story yet.

While Haley put her stuff in her locker, Lucas turned his attention to Brooke.

"Is she okay?" he asked, running his hand down the brunette's arm.

Leaning into his comforting touch, she sighed. "Yeah I think so, she's been smiling all morning and more talkative than usual."

Lucas accepted this answer. "Well let me know if anything changes. I'll see you later, Cheery. Later Hales!" With that Lucas walked off down the hallway.

Haley, seeing the intimate interaction, raised her eyebrows at Brooke.

"What?" Brooke questioned, feigning innocence.

Haley giggled. "Oh Brooke, what ever will we do with you?"

With that the two girls walked out towards the quad.

 _Meanwhile on the Quad…_

Nathan was walking toward the school when he saw a bounce of blonde appear by his side. Looking down, he saw Peyton. He was still irritated with her comments yesterday, but he was more relaxed now knowing Haley was safe. Looking ahead, he saw the red head he hoped he would never encounter again, so he made the hasty decision to chat up the curly blonde next to him to avoid her.  
"Ready for the last of first days we'll have at this place?"

Peyton smiled. "Yeah, this year couldn't have come fast enough. Listen, Nathan, I want to apologize to you about my comment yesterday. It's just, Haley hurt you so bad when she left and I don't want to see you like that ever again."

Nathan let out a sigh, but sent a small smile to the blonde. "I know what you mean, and trust me, it will be a while before Haley and I are anywhere close to normal, but yesterday when she was missing, I was just so scared, ya know? Like what if something actually had happened to her? I just can't see her hurt, especially when I could have protected her."

As they reach the middle of the quad, the ex-lovers ran into another duo, being said boy's wife and said girl's best friend.

The tension was high, Nathan avoiding looking at Haley as he remembered ashamedly how he had last talked to her on the beach, Haley looking down to conceal herself thinking that Nathan still hated her and had the same mentality he had on the beach, Peyton and Brooke eyeing each other down after their fight the night before. The silence was broken by Mouth, who had approached the foursome with his hand up, pretending it was a microphone.

"I'm here with Nathan Scott, the Raven's star shooter and small forward. Will the return of his wife Haley impact his season like Erica Marsh threatens to ruin this reporter's GPA?"

The comment made Nathan and Haley look at Mouth funnily, before making eye contact with one another. Haley's hair fell behind her back, exposing all her bruises, and Nathan's eyes widened with the horrified realization that there were marks covering his wife's body. That someone else had touched her. Violently. That someone tried to hurt her, just as he feared the day before.

"W-ww-what happened..." he croaked in a whisper, unable to fully speak.

Haley's eyes were brimming with tears. He was the last person she wanted to know. This would make him pity her, and she didn't want that at all.

Nervously, she bit her lip. "I… um… fell… down…" Unable to finish her lie, she looked down. There was just no way she could lie to Nathan, not with all the trust issues between them.

Subconsciously, Nathan stepped forward and took Haley's face into his hands as in to further examine the marks. Running his thumbs over her cheeks, he was absolutely horrified by what he saw. Could this really have happened to his Haley?

Feeling his touch, Haley finally let go of the tears she had been holding in all morning. Burying her face in his chest, she sobbed for her pain.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, as if to protect her from the damage that had already been done. He whispered soothing things into her ear as an attempt to calm her down, and it seemed to work. He pulled away slightly and, taking a deep breath, asked the looming question.

"Baby, who did this to you?"

Haley knew she would be asked at some point that question, and was fully prepared to lie about it. But looking into those baby blue eyes she loved so much, the only thing she could think to say was the truth.

"Chris."

 **Please let me know what you think! Also if you have any ideas, I'm open to suggestions!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright here is chapter 5! Leave a review of what you think and I should update by Friday hopefully. Unfortunately my football team lost in the quarter finals, and as a senior cheerleader, that means it was my last game. Luckily for you guys that means I will be able to update more!**

Previously:

 _Nathan wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, as if to protect her from the damage that had already been done. He whispered soothing things into her ear as an attempt to calm her down, and it seemed to work. He pulled away slightly and, taking a deep breath, asked the looming question._

 _"_ _Baby, who did this to you?"_

 _Haley knew she would be asked at some point that question, and was fully prepared to lie about it. But looking into those baby blue eyes she loved so much, the only thing she could think to say was the truth._

 _"_ _Chris."_

Nathan couldn't move. He just continued to stare into Haley's big brown eyes and watched tears pool and pour out of them. This couldn't be happening. _Chris? Chris KELLER? The twig with weird hair that tried to seduce his wife and got her to leave Tree Hill to go on a rock tour?_

Despite his disbelief, Nathan knew Haley was telling the truth. Her devastation was heart breaking, and all he wanted to do in the moment was take away her pain.

Haley was scared of Nathan's reaction. _What if he doesn't believe me? What if he blames it all on me?_ Her doubts were soon quieted when he pulled her back into his arms. Still crying, Haley gripped onto his shirt and buried her face in his chest. She felt like she could breathe, really breathe, for the first time since she left for the tour. And more importantly, she felt safe.

Peyton and Brooke were still at the scene, though the couple might not have noticed. Brooke was shocked, scared, and disappointed. Haley lied to her that morning, and Brooke felt hurt by her roommate's lack of trust in her. She was also scared. Despite the fact that Haley didn't tell the truth, Brooke genuinely feared for the honey-blonde's safety. _What exactly happened? What is Chris up to?_ She thought.

Peyton also watched the scene unfold, but all she could feel was skepticism. The moment seemed almost too perfect. _First she goes missing after the party, making everyone worry about her well-being and making Nathan worried as hell, and then she returns after everyone left. THEN she appears with bruises everywhere and throws herself into Nathan's willing arms? Something definitely seems fishy._

On the other side of the couple stood Mouth, who was probably catching flies with the expression on his face. _What the hell happened this summer?_

Nathan pulled back from Haley and bent down so he was eye-level with her.

"How about I take you home and we can talk about this?"

Haley's eyes lit up at his words. All she wanted was to be around him, in his arms. "Okay," she meekly replied.

Nathan gave her a small smile before grabbing her hand and pulling her to the car.

"What about school?" Peyton yelled from where they were standing before. Nathan smirked over his shoulder and replied:

"It's the first day, what could we possibly miss?" And with that, the married couple climbed in his car and pulled out of the parking lot.

Brooke smiled as she watched them leave. She knew how badly Haley wanted to be with Nathan again, and in a twisted way, her encounter with Chris might just do the trick. She sighed with content and turned around, only to meet the glare of her best friend.

"You do realize that she probably is lying about Chris just to get Nathan to talk to her again, right?"  
Brooke shook her head in disbelief at her best friend. "Are you kidding me Peyton? Did you see the bruises on her face, her arms, her NECK? Those are very real! What, do you think she actually fell down the stairs like she told me earlier, or, even better, painted on the bruises herself to get pity?"

Peyton had a thinking look on her face, then retorted, "Did you see any bruises when she walked in last night?"

Brooke's face showed her realization that she had, in fact, not seen any bruises the night before, but that her roommate seemed to cover them all.

"Well no… but she define— "

"I rest my case," Peyton interrupted, ending the conversation and walking away from her best friend.

Brooke now stood in the quad with Mouth, both watching the curly blonde walk away with astonishment. The silence was soon broken by Lucas who joined the twosome.

"Why do you guys look like you were just told Santa's not real?" the blond boy asked with a smile on his face.

Brooke faced Lucas and watched his smile disappear as he saw her expression.

"Broody, we need to talk…"

 _Nathan's House_

Haley sat on the couch while Nathan was in the kitchen getting her water. She looked around the home, noticing that not much had changed since she was her before the start of summer. Looking back towards the kitchen, she watched as her gorgeous husband walked back into the room with a glass in his hand and a worried look on his face.

"Hales, I need you to tell me everything that happened," he pleaded as he sat next to her.

She nodded with agreement and turned to face him. "Before I tell you, I need you to promise that you're not going to look at me any differently and that you won't just stick around because you pity me. I think that would break my heart more than if you just left me alone," she whispered, dropping her gaze to her hands.

She watched as two large hands tenderly grabbed hers and pulled them into his lap. He then tilted her chin up so that his piercing blue eyes met with her soft brown ones.

"Haley, I would never stay with you out of pity. I am staying with you because I love you and I never want to see you hurt. I'm not going to avoid you anymore or blow you off, I mean look where that got us? But I'm not saying we are going to be the perfect couple we were before just yet. No matter what you say, I want you to know that you are my world and I will love you forever, okay?"

Tears streamed down her face hearing these loving words. She smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Nathan smiled back at her and, still holding her hands, urged her to continue.

Taking a deep breath, she began. "It all started back on tour. After the interview when Chris implied that we were in a relationship, I all but bit his head off afterwards. I mean I was so intent on telling them about you and our marriage and he ruined my chances."

Nathan smiled at this, he remembered the pain that he felt when he saw the interview on TV, but hearing that Haley was not behind it made him feel relief he didn't know he was hoping for.

"Anyway, after that day, he always glared at me and would always bash on me, saying my music was crappy or that I threw away my life at such a young age by marrying you. It got worse when I left the tour for the first time, when you had your accident. He caught me before I left and told me you were probably hoping I didn't return because I was such a bitch for leaving you and you'd be angry if I showed up…" she whispered the last part, knowing that, for once, Chris Keller was right.

Nathan felt a pang of guilt when he heard this. Yeah, he didn't want Haley to come back after the accident, but hearing that Keller told her that out of spite and then for her to realize it was true? Nathan watched the pain in her eyes as she said this, and knew he had to say something.

"He was right," he started. "I didn't want you to come back then. And I'm glad you didn't." Haley's face paled at his statement. _What's he trying to say_? Before she could ask, he continued.

"I was really injured, and if you came back then, I wouldn't have known if you came back for me or if you came back because you felt guilty. When you showed up here before I left for High Flyers, I have never felt so relieved in my life. I knew it was because you wanted to come home, not because you felt obligated to. Just like before when you asked me not to stay with you because I pity you, I didn't want you to do the same when I was in the hospital. And that's how you know I won't stay out of guilt. Sure, do I feel like I should have protected you from Chris? Absolutely. But I'm not going to let that guilt dictate my feelings and control my choices. I'm here with you now because I care about you and I love you and I never want this to happen again."

Once again, Haley cried and tightened her grip on his hands, knowing she had to finish the story.

"I love you too, Nathan. Always and forever," she said the last part with a slight smirk that made Nathan laugh a little. "But after I came back on tour from the airport, Chris knew he was right and tried to plant doubt in my mind about you but I refused to listen. But one night on stage, I just lost it. They turned off the house lights and I saw all these people in the crowd, but none of them were you. And at that moment I knew that none of the fame or applause was worth it without you by my side. When I got off stage, Chris asked me what the hell happened and I told him my realization, and he scoffed and told me that after being such a slut and running away with him, you'd never want to be the person in the crowd cheering me on. And it was then that I knew that I had to come home. None of it was worth it. None of it was worth losing you."

She continued to tell him about what happened in the hotel room and then the events from the other night. "…and then I saw headlights, but then everything went black, and I woke up the next morning alone in the alley in the rain," she finished, still keeping her eyes on Nathan.

His eyes reflected pain, so much pain, and the only way he could think to stop that pain was to pull Haley into his lap and hold onto her for dear life. So he did just that. Haley nestled her head in the crook of his neck and he rocked her a bit, whispering "I'm so sorry, Baby, so sorry" over and over again in her ear.

Haley smiled against his skin, knowing he would protect her from anything.

 _Back at the school_

Lucas sat in shock after Brooke explained everything that happened from last night to the moments before when Haley and Nathan left school. _How could this happen to my best friend? Haley was the greatest person he knew; how could someone possibly justify the idea of hurting her?_

Jumping up from his seat on the bench, he shook with rage. Brooke was startled by his actions, and immediately hopped up to calm him down.

Resting her hands on his arms, she looked in his eyes and told him, "She's safe now, Luke. All we can do now is help her through it and protect her from it ever happening again, okay?"

With that, Luke pulled her into a tight hug, almost as if he was trying to protect her in the way that he was unable to protect Haley.

Suddenly he grabbed her hand and started pulling her to his car. "That's not the only thing we can do."

Brooke followed along, but her face showed her confusion. "Lucas, what are you talking about?"

Without turning around, he answered, "First, we're going to figure out exactly what happened. And then, we're going to go beat the shit out of Keller."

 _Back at Nathan's_

The couple was still curled up together on the couch, Nathan idly moving his hands over Haley's back and legs. While doing so, he looked down and a horrifying thought came to his mind. "Haley, did Chris do anything else to you besides hit you?"

Haley was confused. "No, I mean not that I know of. I did pass out at some point. Why?" Instead of getting an answer, she followed Nathan's eye sight to her inner thighs, where he was gently running his hands over bruises in the shape of finger prints.

"Oh."

 **Alright, that's it for chapter 5. Now I already answered a question whether or not Chris raped Haley, and he did not. I don't really want to write about that because I don't think I would be able to do such a horrifying thing justice, but Nathan and Haley don't know that so the next chapter is going to deal with them trying to figure that out. Next chapter:**

 **Brooke and Lucas go on a mission**

 **Haley and Nathan try to figure out how far Chris went when hurting her**

 **Peyton teams up with an unlikely ally.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back! I've gotten a lot of reviews about not liking Peyton and all I have to say is if you don't like her now, just wait till you see what she does next.**

 **ALSO, CHECK OUT MY TWO-SHOT STORY CALLED TAKE ME HOME. It's a cute little NH story that's both angst and humor!**

 **Here's chapter 6!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original ideas.**

 _In the Café_

The bell chimed and in walked Brooke and Lucas. Karen looked up from the counter, and disapproval was evident on her face.

"Why aren't you two in school?"

Lucas and Brooke looked at each other, communicating what they were thinking through their eyes. To tell Karen the truth or not?

Lucas seemed to know just what to do.

"Mom, Haley made it home last night, but she didn't make it home in perfect condition…"

Karen looked worried. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that Haley was beat up the other night," Brooke chimed in.

"By who?"

Lucas had a menacing look on his face while he tightened his hands into fists. "Chris fucking Keller, that's who."

"Lucas, language!" Karen reprimanded before continuing. "Keller? The one she went on tour with? Where? Why? Is she okay?"

"She's… well… we're not sure how she is. Nathan took her from Brooke before school started to calm her down and get the whole story. All we know is that it was Chris and it was bad. Also that he's still out there."

Karen twiddled her fingers in her hands. "Well, I knew that."

Brooke and Lucas looked stunned. "What do you mean you knew that?" the fiery brunette questioned.

"Well, Chris Keller was just here twenty minutes ago. He ordered some coffee and asked me about Haley's working schedule. I knew they were acquaintances, and he told me he needed to track her down to record some stuff, so I gave it to him…" Seeing the fallen looks on the teenagers' faces, the store owner felt extremely guilty.

"It's okay Mom, you didn't know. But Haley probably won't be working for a bit, at least not till we can get rid of him."

"Yeah or maybe we can, you know, just change her work schedule," Brooke imputed.

Receiving a questioning glare from Lucas, she began to explain herself. "Well, you see, Haley and I have these pesky things called bills that we have to pay each month, and—"

Lucas rolled his eyes at her antics while Karen stifled a giggle. They truly did make quite the pair.

"And on that note, we're gonna head over to Nate's to see if he can give us any more information and to check up on Haley." And with that, the quirky couple was out the door.

 _Nathan's House_

Nathan and Haley were still in their close embrace when the doorbell ran. Placing a hand over her ear and pressing her other one into his chest, Nathan yelled "IT'S OPEN" and waited to see who was outside his house.

He smiled seeing Brooke and Lucas enter, but anyone could see that it didn't reach his eyes.

Looking at Haley tucked up on his chest, Lucas noticed she had a stream of tears flowing from her eyes and that Nathan's hand seemed to be rubbing her inner thigh.

"What happened?" he asked, genuinely curious about the scene in front of him.

Nathan kissed Haley's head as she snuggled further into him, indicating that she didn't want to talk about it.

 _FLASHBACK_

 _Instead of getting an answer, she followed Nathan's eye sight to her inner thighs, where he was gently running his hands over bruises in the shape of finger prints._

 _"_ _Oh."_

 _Neither of them moved for a good five minutes. Haley was the first to break the silence._

 _"_ _Nathan…" she pleaded, her voice quivering with fear. Tears pooled in her eyes._

 _Nathan tightened his grip on her and kissed her head. As much as he wanted to freak out about the potential idea that Chris touched his wife in that way, he knew he had to be strong for her._

 _With that, they stayed in their huddled position until the doorbell rang._

The message seemed to get across that they didn't want to talk about it, so instead Nathan filled Lucas in on what happened.

"I'm gonna kill the bastard," Lucas growled.

Nathan nodded in agreement. "Not if I get to him first."

Brooke shook her head at the boys' barbaric behavior, but she couldn't say she wouldn't do the same for her roomie. Looking over at her, Brooke's heart broke. Haley was cling to Nathan as if her life depended on it.

"He was at the café. Karen saw him twenty minutes before we got there. He has you're work schedule, Hales," added Lucas. He couldn't say he wasn't afraid to see the couple's reaction, especially Nathan's. To know that the guy who beat your wife is now stalking her is a lot to take in and he expected his brother to be nothing less than pissed.

Anger was evident in Nathan's eyes and his body visibly tensed up at Lucas' words, but he knew he had to think before acting with Haley in his arms. He looked down at her in his lap, and his heart strings constricted. The fear in her eyes was unmistakable. Once again sobs shook her body. Why couldn't Chris just leave her alone? Hadn't he done enough damage?

Though Brooke, Lucas, and Nathan were discussing their plan of action, Haley wasn't listening. Slowly and silently she was falling into a panic attack. First Chris brought tension between her and Nathan's new marriage, then he hit her, and now he's stalking her? _My life has turned into a living hell,_ she thought.

In an attempt to calm herself down, she rested the side of her head on Nathan's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Knowing that he was there with her, even if just for the moment, made her heart swell. _Well, maybe not a complete hell._

 _Back at school…._

Peyton walked the hallways alone. Most of her friends were ditching the first day for Haley. _Poor, poor Haley. One hair on her head is misplaced and the whole world starts to crumble. Bitch._ Peyton knew she was being extra harsh, but she couldn't help it, and quite frankly, she didn't care.

Arriving at the quad for lunch, she realized that she would be sitting alone on the first day of senior year. _Thanks Haley,_ she sneered mentally.

Upon sitting at the table she was joined by a fiery red head who seemed to be on a mission.

"Can I help you?" Peyton asked, disinterest filling her voice.

"Actually, you can," the redhead replied. "I'm Rachel Gatina, and I have a proposition for you."

Now she had the blonde's attention. "What kind of proposition?"

"You want to get rid of Haley James, right?"

Peyton smiled back, this just got interesting.

 _In Nathan's Car_

Concentrating on the road was a difficult task when you're driving to the hospital to get your wife tested for rape. Nathan clutched the wheel with his left hand as he thought this, but made sure not to crush Haley's hand which he held in his right.

They were both nervous, terrified. This information would change their relationship if it were true. Haley tried not to think about it, but it was hard not to when she realized that Chris may have taken advantage of her body and if Nathan hadn't spotted the plethora of bruises on her inner thighs, she may have never known. Scared shitless wouldn't even begin to describe how she was feeling at the moment. She just wanted it to be over.

Nathan had called the hospital for an appointment after Brooke and Lucas left, or as Nathan and Haley had dubbed them, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. The couple looked like they were on a mission, and Haley could see them getting back together soon. It was only a matter of time.

The car ride was awfully quiet, but neither knew what to say. It was a difficult hand they were dealt and they didn't know how to react.

Pulling up to the hospital, Nathan parked, got out and opened Haley's door for her. Walking into the building, his hand never left hers once. After checking in with the front desk, the couple went to sit in the waiting room.

Haley leaned her head on Nathan's shoulder. Waiting was one of the worst things to do when waiting to receive bad news.

The nurse came out and called her name. Haley stood up and walked in the nurse's direction, but quickly realized her husband was not with her. Turning back, she saw him still sitting in the chair.

"Um, are you, um, did you want to come with me?" she asked shyly, looking down at her feet, afraid of his rejection.

Nathan looked up. "Do you want me to?"

"Please…" Haley begged, looking up at him.

Nathan stood up and immediately engulfed Haley in his arms. "Whatever you need, I'm here, okay? Don't hesitate to ask."

Nodding, Haley took his hand in hers and the pair followed the nurse into the room.

After a couple of exams, Nathan and Haley were waiting in the room for the doctor with the results when the door opened.

"Alright, the lab just got the results back," said Dr. Rudolph, "And everything came back negative for rape."

Haley dropped her head back on the hospital bed she was in, tears of relief immediately filling her eyes. Gasping, she began to sob. Nathan grabbed her hand and pulled her into his chest. _Thank God_ , he thought.

"I know this has been traumatic, Haley, but the good news is nothing happened. If you need anything, just call," Dr. Rudolph said, leaving the couple to digest the news.

Once the doctor left, Nathan pulled back and, cupping her face, looked her in her doe brown eyes.

"It's okay, we're okay," he whispered. "I know this has been straining, but we need to go to the police, now, and report the attack. Hopefully they can do something."

Haley nodded along, unable to find her voice.

 _The Apartment_

Brooke and Lucas were sitting on the couch in the apartment, coming up with a list of ideas to catch Keller. So far their best idea was getting him into Tric and taking him down there. It was realistic. Tric was a local bar and club, it would definitely attract "the Keller."

Exhausted from their day of investigation, Brooke put in a movie, and the duo slowly drifted asleep, unconsciously moving into one another's arms.

 _Back in school_

"So what exactly did you have in mind?" the curly blonde prompted. Rachel's idea definitely pulled her in, and she wanted to be in on it, but Peyton wasn't exactly sure why.

"First we take her sense of security, then we take her confidence, and finally, we take her man," Rachel replied. Peyton was unsure why the last part seemed so appealing to her.

"So what do you need from me?"

"Well a little birdie told me some things about our rock star, but in order for this to work, I'm gonna need more information from you…"

 **All right chapter 6 wrapped up! I will try to update soon.**

 **Also I have another story in mind to start up as well with winter break coming up. I'll leave the summary in chapter 7!**

 **Next Chapter:**

 **Nathan and Haley go to the police**

 **Brooke and Lucas are awkward**

 **Haley gets an unwanted surprise.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys happy New Year! Sorry it's been a month since I've updated, I've just been really busy with school, but have no fear I am back. Over break I became obsessed with Arrow like wow. Highly recommend it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The night was dark and the roads were slippery from the rain that had fallen earlier in the day. Nathan was driving slow, not only for his safety but for the blonde in the passenger seat. Haley had agreed to going to the police after the hospital, and Nathan felt anxious as they pulled into the station parking lot.

Giving her hand a quick kiss, Nathan got out of the car and helped Haley out as well. Together in silence, they walked into the station, where they were greeted by the receptionist. She was probably about 50 and had a hard look on her face when she heard the door chime, but upon seeing a cowering Haley clinging to Nathan, she softened her expression.

"How may I help you two?"

"Um, my wife here was attacked by… a former associate and we would like to report it," Nathan said.

"And your names sir?"

"I'm Nathan Scott and this is my wife Haley Scott."

Upon hearing their names, all the officers in hearing range whipped around to face the young couple. Everyone knew the youngest Scott boy and him needing police assistance was huge, especially when Dan Scott was the head of the department with his new position as mayor. Despite his feelings about the marriage, Dan made sure to let all the officers know that if one of the younger Scotts asked for help, it was to be given to them, all three of them.

Of course, Nathan and Haley were not aware of this and were disturbed by all the eyes that were staring at them.

After a moment of shock, the receptionist shook her head and stood up. "Yes, yes, right this way dears."

Following the lady, the couple entered a questioning room with a table and video camera. They sat down in the metal chairs waiting for an officer to come in. Looking at Nathan, Haley not so discretely moved her chair closer to his, making a loud dragging noise while she did so, but once she reached her destination, she looped her arms around Nathan's (large) bicep and rested her head on his shoulder, resting her eyes. It truly had been a long day.

The door opened five minutes later and in entered an officer.

"Hi, I'm Officer Lang, I specialize with domestic abuse and brutality cases. From what I've been told," he said, looking at Haley, "is that you were attacked by someone you know and would like to report it. Can you tell me about exactly what happened?"

Sitting up, Haley nodded her head and spoke for the first time since she entered the station.

"It was two nights ago and I was walking home from the beach when I was pulled into an alleyway and I saw that it was my former tour mate Chris Keller. He proceeded to tell me that it was my fault the label let him go and then he hit me until I was unconscious."

Officer Lang had a sympathetic look in his eyes as she finished, and then began to ask her questions.

"You said you two were on tour together. Were there any incidents on the road?"

Haley shifted in the seat and answered quietly. "Yes."

Lang nodded his head forward, telling her to continue.

"The night I left the tour, he cornered me in my room and asked my why I was leaving and I told him it was because I needed to go home, that I needed to save my marriage. And then he hit me."

An inquisitive look came across Officer Lang's face as she said this.

Looking at Nathan, he asked, "Would I be able to ask Haley a few questions alone?"

Nathan, not wanting to cause any trouble, nodded his head yes and stood up. "Yeah, of course." Looking at Haley, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and told her, "I'll be right outside if you need anything, okay?"

After receiving a nod of approval, he left the room.

Now it was just Officer Lang and Haley, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous.

"Alright Haley, I just want to make sure I have the facts straight. It says here that you and Nathan married at the end of February?"

"Yes."

"So when did you meet Chris Keller?"

"Around the end of March. He was one of the acts that was supposed to perform at a club opening with me, and then he helped me in the studio."

"Was there any romantic affiliations between you and Chris?"

Haley looked down in shame. "Um, kind of."

Lang seemed even more concerned with this response. "Can you elaborate on that?"

"I know he had, or has, feelings for me. He kissed me twice but that was it. I don't return any of those feelings."

"Does Nathan know about this?"

"Yes," she answered precautious. "I'm sorry Officer, but where are you going with this?"

Seeing that Haley had caught on, Officer Lang leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. "Haley, I just want to make sure that it was Chris that did this to you. Some husbands become aggressive when they think their wives are cheating and then want to put the blame elsewhere, and Nathan seems— "

The clank of the metal chair hitting the tile startled the officer and his train of thought ended there.

"How dare you accuse my husband of doing this!" Haley yelled, pointing at Lang. "He would never hurt me and the fact that you think he brought me here as a rouse is extremely offensive. I don't think I want to talk to you anymore." Tears glistened in her eyes as she walked out the door. God, she was sick of crying.

Walking out of the questioning room, Haley found Nathan chatting up another officer who seemed to be handing him different papers. When Nathan caught sight of his distraught wife, he immediately left the conversation and pulled her into a hug.

"Hales, what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she sniffled, as he soothingly stroked her hair.

Officer Lang walked out of the room and saw the scene, and he immediately knew he misread the case. In order to right his wrong, he began discussing a plan of action with the deputy Nathan had been talking to before.

After a few minutes of discussion, he walked over to the couple and handed them a form. "I'm deeply sorry if I jumped to wrong conclusions, I was just making sure that you were safe."

Haley nodded in response. "Sorry for yelling, it's just been a really long day."

Nathan began to look over the form. "A restraining order?"

"Although we believe you about Keller, we have no physical evidence to back it up. With a restraining order, if he comes near you or tries to get in contact with you, we can bring him in."

Nathan looked down to meet Haley's gaze, and they seemed to communicate silently.

"Alright, sounds like a plan."

After their long day, Nathan pulled up to the apartment with Haley in tow. They remained silent all the way to the door.

"Haley, you know I love you. And today has been so stressful for you and I'm happy I could help, but I'm just not ready yet. I'm scared to be vulnerable with you again."

"Nathan… I'm not going anywhere. But I understand and thank you for being there for me today, I wouldn't have been able to survive it without you."

With that, he kissed her forehead and said goodnight, and then he was gone.

Sighing, Haley opened the door and walked in the apartment. There were papers scattered all over the ground and looking at the couch, she saw her best friend and roommate cuddled on the couch together, mouths open and snoring. She giggled to herself, locked the door, and went to the bedroom.

Haley fell asleep immediately, but she was restless, tossing and turning, dreams of Nathan turning into nightmares of Chris.

The next morning started with Brooke waking up and stretching her arms out, causing her to punch her Broody in the face.

"OW! Brooke, what the hell?!"

"Oops," she apologized, standing up.

The dynamic duo walked to the counter as Brooke poured them coffee. While sipping their cups of Joe, Haley walked into the kitchen in one of Nathan's shirts, clearly too big for her.

"Whoa, Tutor Girl, I didn't know Boy Toy spent the night," Brooke smirked. Haley was so upset when she had implemented the scrunchie method.

"What no he—oh! Um, no he wasn't here. I just couldn't sleep so…" Haley rushed out, tugging the shirt down her legs as she did so.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean anything, I just-"

"Brooke, it's fine, really."

"Well, as fun as this is, I need to go home and change before school and pray that my mother doesn't kill me for not coming home last night," said Lucas as he grabbed his bag and walked towards the door, not before giving Brooke a kiss on the cheek.

"Bye Broody!"

"Bye Luke."  
With a serious expression, Brooke turned to her roommate. "Are you really okay?"

Nodding, Haley replied, "You know what? I am. I'm still scared about Chris but knowing that Nathan is in my corner makes it easier."

"Well, I'm in your corner too and I promise that I will not let that scummy guitar player get his hands on you. Not on my watch!"

"Thanks Tigger, now let's get ready for school, we already ditched yesterday."

Upon arriving at school, Brooke and Haley met up with Lucas, Nathan, and Peyton, though the curly blonde didn't give much attention to Haley.

Nathan gave Haley the nod, letting her know that they were good despite not being together. The gang arrived at Lucas' locker, which was next to Haley's, which was next to Nathan's.

While chatting idly, Haley opened her locker, but as soon as she lifted the hatch and pulled, a voice put her in shock.

"Hi everyone, I'm Chris Keller!"

Everything was a blur. Nathan grabbed Haley, pulling her away from the locker with his arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Brooke finished opening the door, only for hundreds of pictures of Chris to fall out and dozens of CDs plummeted to the floor. Out of a small stereo in the locker played "When the Stars Go Blue" and everyone in the hallway stopped to stare at the scene.

Haley whirled around in Nathan's embrace to bury her face in his chest while Brooke and Lucas began pulling everything out of the locker.

Meanwhile, Peyton looked around the hall and made eye contact with a certain red head giving her a smirk. Phase One of getting rid of Haley James was complete.

 _FLASHBACK_

 _"_ _So what is our first move?" Peyton questioned Rachel, wanting to know the plans._

 _"_ _Well, you said she claims Chris Keller hurt her. I say we put pictures and CDs in her locker for tomorrow," Rachel proposed_

 _"_ _Seriously? That's it? I thought we were gonna go all Mean Girls on her!"_

 _Rachel gave Peyton a pointed look. "Duh, we are starting off small, making her paranoid. Here's how I see it. When she notices what we put in there, she'll get scared. And if Nathan is near by, he will see the pictures and think that one, Chris did it and wants Haley, or two, that his wife has a crazy obsession with her tour mate."_

 **Ugh, sorry again for the wait. I have some new ideas for some stories so let me know what you think!**

 **1.** **The pain Dan Scott inflicts on his youngest son is horrible, and Nathan doesn't think he can deal with it anymore. That is until he is noticed by long time crush Haley James and she shows him that he doesn't have to settle for his dad's abuse.**

 **2.** **Lucas Scott's life was great until a women dropped off a baby on his doorstep saying it was his brother. Now with an absentee mother and an insane father, Lucas is left to raise a 13 month old Nathan while trying to finish senior year.**

 **3.** **After Nathan and Haley shared their news about getting married, their friends and families turned their backs on the couple. In hopes for a fresh start, they move down south, but return five years later with a new bundle of joy.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back! I'm a cheerleader for my high school and our season just ended so I will have lots of time to write!**

 **Also, I've been trying to upload chapters but the website won't let me submit them… anyone know why?**

 **When I initially uploaded it, there was weird programming all over it sorry!**

WHALEY HALEY

 _Previously in "On The Walk Home"…_

 _Everything was a blur. Nathan grabbed Haley, pulling her away from the locker with his arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Brooke finished opening the door, only for hundreds of pictures of Chris to fall out and dozens of CDs plummeted to the floor. Out of a small stereo in the locker played "When the Stars Go Blue" and everyone in the hallway stopped to stare at the scene._

 _Rachel gave Peyton a pointed look. "Duh, we are starting off small, making her paranoid. Here's how I see it. When she notices what we put in there, she'll get scared. And if Nathan is near by, he will see the pictures and think that one, Chris did it and wants Haley, or two, that his wife has a crazy obsession with her tour mate."_

The school was dark, the halls were silent, an eerie feeling filling the air. It was strange for a place so lively during the day to be so dead at night fall.

Two dark figures stood in the copy room. Neither spoke a word as the noisy printer shot out paper after paper.

 _BEEP. BEEP._

The taller of the two refilled the printer with paper, then turned to her partner in crime.

"We're gonna need a lot of tape if we want to hang all of these up."

The other girl smirked. "Please. I formulated the plan, I think I know what we'll need."

The printer finally came to a quiet rest, and the stealthy intruders made their way back into the halls.

The darkness covered them as they went from wall to wall, locker to door, hanging up their propaganda. It took nearly two hours, but when they finished, their faces showed nothing but smugness, and they left the building side by side.

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Around the same time, four teenagers were resting on the comfortable couches in a cozy apartment.

Nathan sat upright on the couch with his wife's head delicately resting in his lap. Brooke and Lucas sat across from the estranged couple with their legs tangled together. It had been a long day, and the main goal was to comfort a distraught Haley.

The locker incident scared her badly, and she was jumpy for the rest of the day.

Nathan caressed her hair while the gang offered up who could have done such a thing.

"Well, for starters, we know Chris Keller is in town," Lucas offered.

"Yeah, but why would he make his presence known like that? He already has Haley scared shitless," Brooke countered.

"I don't know, Brooke," injected Nathan. "I don't know anyone other then the Keller himself who would own that many of his CDs." The group laughed despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Maybe it's someone from school? Someone who's angry that I got to go on tour, another singer or someone?"

"Maybe," they hummed. The truth was, their suspect list was limited to Chris, and that was a terrifying thought not just for Haley, but for everyone.

Nathan continued to run his fingers through Haley's hair, watching her attempt to relax, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths. If Chris had access to the school, who knows what Keller would do to Haley when he wasn't there to protect her. The thought of Chris hurting Haley had Nathan's blood boiling, and he found himself at a crossroad again. He loved Haley, but he couldn't rush anything right now with their fragile marriage. He still was scared to be vulnerable, and was working himself back to trusting her completely. On the other hand, he was going to drive himself mad every time he wasn't with her, worrying about her safety.

Nathan's thoughts were quickly interrupted by Brooke.

"Tutor Girl, I have a brilliant idea!"

"Brooke and brilliant in the same sentence, this should be interesting."

The brunette punched Lucas in the shoulder. "Shut up Broody! Anyway, you should totally join the cheerleading squad Haley! We have an opening and that way, after school you will be with all four of us so we can keep an eye out for you!"

Nathan released a breath of relief he didn't realize he was holding. Haley joining the cheer team would make him more assured about her safety while he was at practice.

"I don't know… I don't think I'm cheer material, Brooke," Haley counteracted, apprehensive about her roomie's suggestion. She would be spending more time with Nathan and she didn't want to rush things. They were finally getting along and she didn't want him to get overwhelmed by her presence.

"I think you should do it, Hales. Your safety is our top priority, and this way we can all concentrate at practice instead of freaking out over where you might be."

"You sure?" Haley asked her husband. He nodded back. "Alright, looks like I'm officially a Ravens Cheerleader!"

Brooke jumped in the air clapping her hands together. "Yay yay yay! Oh my gosh, we have to teach you the cheers and get you a uniform! This is just too exciting!"  
Lucas and Nathan laughed at the cheery girl's antics while Haley just rolled her eyes playfully.

Nathan smirked down at Haley, saying, "You know, I really won't mind seeing you jumping around in one of those little uniforms cheering my name."

Haley blushed at his flirtatious comment, while his brother seemed to do the opposite. Throwing a pillow at Nathan, Lucas yelled,

"Party foul man!"

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Lucas and Nathan ended up spending the night. They each took a couch while the girls slept in their respective beds.

That morning, Brooke drove everyone in to school in her Bug, reminding of them all about the adventure home from the game that Lucas and Nathan got thrown out of.

Upon arriving at school, people stared as the four walked in, snickering and making comments under their breath.

Lucas, Brooke, Nathan, and Haley shared looks of confusion among one another when Peyton came running up to the group.

"Oh my God, Haley, I'm so sorry this happened to you! I can't believe someone would print pictures of you like that!"

"Peyton what are you talking about…" Haley trailed off as she saw what seemed to be hundreds of posters hanging around the school.

They all had a picture of a chubby little girl with the saying "Guess Who?" on the top, and "Whaley Haley" on the bottom. To Haley's eyes, she could tell that the photos were photo-shopped. Anyone who knew her in elementary and middle school knew that she was the most petite person in their grade. But despite it all, Haley's eyes brimmed with tears as she took off for the girls' restroom.

Brooke and Peyton followed her into the bathroom, but not before Brooke ordered the boys to take down all the posters and burn them immediately. They obliged without hesitation.

"Haley? It's Peyton and Brooke. We know it's not you in the pictures, but can you come talk to us?" The curly blonde asked.

Haley stepped out of the stall, drying her eyes. "Who would do this? Why? It's not fair, what did I ever do to them to make them want to hurt me so badly?"

Brooke rubbed her roommate's arm soothingly. "I don't know Tutor Girl, but we are going to get to the bottom of this, okay? And to take your mind off things, how about we go shopping after school, just us girls?"

Haley agreed and they all left the bathroom to head to homeroom.

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Lucas was walking down the hallway when he heard Rachel's high pitch voice gossiping about the posters.

"So do you think she got a tummy tuck or what? It's not like she had money to do anything elaborate." The cheerleaders snickered, but before Lucas could jump in, Theresa spoke up.

"Actually, those pictures are definitely photo-shopped. Haley has always been the tiniest person in both elementary school and middle school. She was always being mistaken for being a year younger."

Bevin chimed in, "Yeah, until she became best friends with Lucas and no one said anything else about her size to her face."

The rest of the girls agreed that the girl in the poster most definitely was not Haley, and Lucas was satisfied to know that the rumor was a fail.

The only negative thing was they still didn't know who was doing all this.

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After a successful shopping spree, the girls regrouped at the apartment to show each other what they bought. Everything was normal until Peyton caught glimpse of a bright pink and black bag in Haley's stack.

"Well, well, what were you doing at Victoria Secret?" The blonde asked.

Haley blushed a deep red, and pulled out the white padded bra with the matching thong. "Just getting these because… well you never know."

Peyton was shocked, and worried. What did she mean? Were her and Nathan already intimate again?

Haley saw Peyton's face, but mistook it for misunderstanding. "Nathan and I are getting close again, and I'm feeling really hopeful that maybe we can rekindle what we had."

Peyton was flabbergasted. The plan was close to being pointless if Nathan and Haley got back together. She had to think quick.  
"Well, you better keep an eye on him, because some of the cheerleaders were talking about going after him."

Brooke smiled and decided to share the newly established news with her best friend. "Actually, P. Sawyer, Tutor Girl here is joining the squad!"

Once again Peyton was beside herself. What were they supposed to do now? "Really? And what does Nathan think about it?" She prodded, trying to plant doubt in Haley's mind.

Haley blushed and once again, Brooke answered for her. "All Nathan could talk about was seeing her in the uniform again."

Laughing nervously, Peyton whipped out her phone and messaged Rachel with the new challenges they were faced with.

 **Sorry it's kinda short, I'm falling asleep as I write, but I really wanted to put up a chapter!**

 **Please leave a review!**

 **Also, I plan to start off with Story 2 from the list last chapter, but I will do them all, no worries.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright, here's the next chapter! Two in two days?! I know I'm good, lol. There is a lot of cheer terminology in this chapter and having been a cheerleader for four years, I don't really know how else to describe it all. Enjoy and please review!**

It was now Friday at Tree Hill High, and Haley couldn't help but wonder what would happen today. Monday was her locker being vandalized with Chris Keller apparel, and Tuesday was the 'Whaley Haley' incident. She could only imagine that her harasser was planning something big.

What made matters even worse was she was continuously having nightmares about Chris beating her, some even going as far as him about to rape her. She couldn't sleep after waking from these dreams, and she was beginning to feel the fatigue of it all.

Her deep thoughts were interrupted by her roommate:

"Tutor Girl, you excited for tonight?"

Tonight was the first football game of the year. Even though the school worshipped basketball and captain Nathan Scott, football still had a huge presence at the school. The cheerleaders were to be present at both the pep rally and the game.

"I guess," Haley replied. "I really don't know anything about football though. At least when Nathan and I were living together I began to get the hang of basketball, but this is all foreign territory."

Brooke laughed, "Honey, none of us know what's going on. It's appearance that matters."

Haley playfully rolled her eyes as the Scott brothers joined the roomies at their table in the courtyard for lunch.

"What are you smiling about, Pretty Girl?" Lucas asked Brooke, taking a seat on the bench next to her.

"Oh, Tutor Girl and I were just discussing the football game tonight! You guys will be there, right?"

"Most definitely," Nathan interjected. "Not only do we want to keep an eye on the two of you, but Luke and I managed to snag Head Rowdies, so we get to lead the student section."

"Congrats guys!" Haley beamed. She knew that Lucas always wanted to be a part of the student section and not feel exiled, and now he and his brother get to be the face of it all.

Lucas was practically bouncing in his seat. "Tonight is a blue-out, so we are gonna paint our whole bodies blue! I'm so pumped!" The gang laughed at his excitement.

Before chatter could continue, Peyton sat down between Lucas and Nathan. "What's going on guys?"

"Broody and Boy Toy were just telling us about how they are Head Rowdies this year!" Brooke explained.

"Aw, congratulations! Who else is in the Rowdy squad with you guys?"

"Well there's us, followed by Tim, Skills, Fergie and Junk, plus Dylan, Tyler, Max, and Dominic from the team."

"Well we will all be cheering on the team together then!" the curly blonde responded.

"Speaking of cheering and new cheerleaders, we got any new leads on Haley's harasser?" questioned Lucas.

Brooke grimaced as Haley answered, "No one yet. The only person who makes sense is Chris, but Nathan and I already talked to the police and unless we have concrete evidence that it was him, the restraining order won't do anything."

Nathan sighed, "And what if it's not him?"  
"Well, then it has to be someone we know. How else would someone know to intimidate me by using Chris?"

Peyton was panicking as she was listening. It would be easy to point fingers at her because she knew what happened to Haley and she also had the aggression to fit the motive. Worst of all, she was actually guilty of the crimes.

"Maybe it's someone who wants Nathan? What better way to do that then bring back memories the guy Haley left you for and pictures of her when she was fat for you to not get back with her?" Peyton knew she was throwing Rachel under the bus, but what saved her was that Rachel wasn't around when all the Chris stuff went down.

"I don't know about that. And besides, none of that stuff is true. Haley left for her career, not Chris, and she was never fat. Besides, no one even believes the rumors," Nathan spoke.

Too soon, apparently, as Rachel and her squad walked past the table. "You sure you want to be eating Haley? Don't want to gain all that weight back. Don't worry someone can teach you how to throw it back up before you turn into a whale again. Or maybe this time you'll be a pig! Oink oink!"

Rachel's words stung Haley, even though they weren't true. She dropped her food on the table and pushed the tray away from herself. Nathan watched in disbelief.

"Hales, you have to eat!"

"I just don't feel like it right now."

Sighing, Nathan turned Haley around to face him. "Listen to me. You are beautiful, okay? In absolutely no way are you fat. You're tiny, but you're perfect. I love your body, and you need to eat if you want to stay healthy."

Haley blushed at his compliments before she began picking at her food again.

The rest of the group smiled at the couple, but Peyton was worried. Her and Rachel's plans were almost making the couple closer, not separating them. They had a lot to discuss.

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Rachel was walking down the empty halls when she was pulled into the janitor's closet. To her surprise, and much to her dismay, it was Peyton.

"Look Blondie," she said, "I hate to break it to you but I don't swing both ways."

Peyton rolled her eyes. "Yeah neither do I. I pulled you in here because we need to talk. Nathan and Brooke are on to us and our plans aren't working. Haley is happy with Nathan and they are going to get back together soon! Maybe we should just stop now."

"And quit? No way in hell. I'm just getting started, because I always get what I want. Are you with me or no?"

"I guess…"

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The time was now 4:45 pm and the cheerleaders were warming up for the pep rally. Haley was all caught up, having spent the week practicing with Brooke. The girls were now talking about putting up stunts during the pep rally and the game. Haley was to front spot Rachel, who was the point flyer. Unfortunately, due to the lack of practices they were able to have with the gym being repainted, they had yet to stunt and had to take Rachel's words for her flying expertise.

Bevin, Theresa, Haley, and Michelle got ready to lift her in the air.

"Let's start with halves ladies!" Brooke commanded, as she and Peyton loaded into their stunts. Everyone muscled up and the two Tree Hill natives went up without a struggle. Rachel, on the other hand, was a different story.

"Squeeze your legs together!" Michelle yelled as the back spot, attempting to bring the girls ankles together.

"Please, she's always spreading her legs," Brooke retorted after coming down. "Rachel, you said you were the best flyer at your old school, so why is it that my strongest bases, with the help of a front spot, can't put you in the air?"

"Well, I'm sorry. We did thigh stands back at my old school, not this lifting shit!"

"Thigh stands? THIGH STANDS? Well you could've mentioned that when you tried out! We are a competing team; you have to at least be able to do a half!" Brooke yelled, clearly pissed off.

There was a moment of discussion among the team when Bevin spoke. "What if we put Haley up? She's the smallest on the team!"

The rest of the girls agreed. Brooke looked at Haley in hopes that she would agree. Haley looked around her. All the girls were silently begging her to pick up where Rachel slacked, they needed her. Plus, she would be able to cheer and see Nathan when they did cheers during the quarters.

"Okay, I'll do it!"

Peyton was impressed that Haley would step up like that to help out the team, and she began thinking about her involvement with Rachel's schemes.

"Yay! Alright everyone spot around, this is Haley's first time flying. Push off your bases, squeeze your abs and pull up, pinch a penny in your butt! You got this Tutor Girl!"

Haley stepped into a sponge and did exactly as told, and successful stood up as her bases held her feet at chest level.

"Yay Tutor Girl! That was so good! Now let's see if you can sponge down and then go up to an extension." Haley successfully sponged down, reloaded, and then squeezed as her bases lifted her all the way above her head. She hit a high-v and then sponged down, excited that she hit her skills. Peyton walked over to Brooke, genuinely impressed.

"You know, B. Davis, she's really good. See if she can hit a lib and then cradle, and if she can do that, go to switch ups and full downs, tick tocks to kick full downs, and then full up switch ups. She might be our key to winning the Classic this year."

"I like the way you think P. Sawyer!"

They gave Haley stunt after stunt to perform, and despite a few falls, she managed to hit them all. The team was excited to have Haley's skills to show off at the pep rally. Well, almost the whole team. Rachel was pissed that Haley took her spot, and she was now front spotting Peyton because Brooke didn't trust her around the nerd.

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The team shook their pom-poms as they started off the pep rally. The football players stood behind their coach, and the rowdies were all lined up, ready to see the game. The rowdies had become a really big deal over the past five years. It almost didn't matter who won the game, if your fan section was great, your school would be remembered.

Nathan and Lucas each had one side of their faces painted blue and wore white sweatbands on their heads. Their bodies were also blue and they wore their blue basketball shorts. They were ready to go, needless to say.

The athletic director welcomed everyone to the rally and then invited the football coach and captains up to speak a few words.

"… and we know you guys are going to be loud tonight because the rowdier the fans, the more hyped the team, and if we are hyped, we can win! So what do you say, let's hear from our head rowdies Nathan and Lucas Scott!"

Nathan and Lucas jogged up to the stage and grabbed the microphone.

"You guys ready to get rowdy?!" Everyone started to chant:

R-O-W-D-I-E THAT'S THE WAY WE SPELL ROWDY, ROWDY. LET'S GET ROWDY! GET ROWDY!

Clearly a success, the boys instructed that attention be turned to the cheerleaders.

EVERYBODY YELL GO! (GO) RAVENS! (RAVENS) GO RAVENS GO!

Haley, Brooke, and Peyton all loaded into sponges.

EVERYBODY YELL GO! (GO) RAVENS! (RAVENS)

The girls pushed, all being lifted into extensions. They hit high-v's and began to do the cheer in the air.

GO RAVENS GO!

EVERYBODY YELL GO! (GO) RAVENS! (RAVENS) GO RAVENS GO, LET'S GO!

The girls cradled down, landing safely in the arms of their bases. Then, all the cheerleaders spirited to the crowd around them. The pep rally was over and everyone began to get ready for the game.

Nathan ran over to Haley and scooped her into his arms. "Baby you did so good! You were so high and you didn't even wobble!"

Haley was extremely satisfied with how impressed Nathan was, but before she could respond, Lucas was calling him from inside the stadium. "I gotta go, I'll see you after the game, okay? We're all gonna get ice cream if we win." With that, he kissed her cheek and ran off to his brother.

Rachel, Brooke, and Peyton all watched the scene play out, and each had a different response. Rachel was pissed. Brooke was elated. Peyton was, well Peyton felt extremely guilty. Nathan looked so happy with Haley in that moment, she realized that maybe she was doing more harm than good by helping Rachel. With that, she made the decision not only to stop helping her, but to confess to Haley what she has done. It was the right thing to do, even if she could lose all her friends.

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The game was going great. The Ravens were winning by 14, and Nathan and Lucas had everyone pumped up, dancing and screaming. It was almost half time, and Haley was supposed to do her new stunt sequence.

Once the buzzard rang, Brooke signaled to Lucas and Nathan that the girls were going to perform, so all the rowdies sat down.

Peyton went first, hitting a liberty, then stretched her back leg out for an arabesque, before finally straight cradling down.

Brooke did a switch up and pulled a heel stretch before she did a full down.

Haley was last.

She put one leg in a sponge and felt as her bases threw her in the air. She spun around and switched her legs, hitting a bow and arrow. She then pulled her leg around the back, hitting a perfect needle, before doing a kick full into the arms of her bases.

All while this was going on, Lucas, Nathan and the rest of the rowdies were watching the girls hit their stuff majestically in the air.

"How is Haley so good?" Nathan questioned. He was standing at the railing with Lucas, Tim, Skills, and Fergie.

"Her sisters were cheerleaders and used to stunt her when she was really little, she's a natural. How about that flexibility though? Damn."

Nathan was too busy watching his girl pull her leg to the beck of her head, so his response was unfiltered for his brother and friends ears.

"I'm telling you, it is such a blessing in bed."

All the guys just stopped and looked at Nathan, who still hadn't realized what he said. Turning, he saw his friends looking at him in disbelief and his brother looked a little pale.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that? What did I sa—Oh my God I didn't mean to say that, shit!"

"PARTY FOUL MAN PARTY FOUL!" Lucas yelled. "Party foul so hard, oh my gosh I think my ears are bleeding. I NEED BLEACH!"

The boys laughed while Nathan tried to apologize to Lucas.

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The girls headed in the school for the rest of half time to get water. Peyton called for Haley.

"Hey look, I need to talk to you about something."

"Yeah sure, what is it?" Haley encouraged.

"Well, when you came home, I was pissed about how Nathan was, and I really wanted you to feel the same way. I helped Rachel stuff your locker and hang up the posters. I did it out of anger for how Nathan was when you left, and also because people are always leaving and you were the first to come back, so you got all my wrath. I know you can't forgive me for what I've done, but I just want you to know that I haven't told Rachel that I was coming clean to you so that I could help stop any of her future plans."

Haley stood there speechless.

"She's extremely dedicated to getting Nathan, and I realized today that he's only going to be happy with you. I am so sorry Haley, but I know I deserve whatever you throw at me."

With that, Peyton walked away, and Haley didn't know what to think.

First of all, Peyton was playing her and harassing her, but she was doing it is a weird twisted way to protect Nathan. She also owned up to all her actions, and she was willing to help stop Rachel.

Haley needed to sort out what she was thinking, so she took a short walk tutor center, where she sat at a desk with her head on her arms. Too bad she didn't see the red head sneak in behind her, plug a cd in on repeat before jamming the player into a cabinet and locking it quietly, and then locking the door to the Tutor Center.

Haley jumped when she heard the music begin to play. Of course it was Chris Keller. When she went to turn off the player she found it locked in a cabinet and the keys were missing. So she decided to leave. But upon arriving at the door, she found it to be locked and began to panic. Haley banged on the doors, crying for help, but no one seemed to hear her.

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"Where the hell is Haley?" Brooke asked back on the track, readying the team for the second half of the game.

"I saw her go to the nurse, she looked really upset," Rachel lied. Unfortunately, Peyton had no idea because she thought that Haley was genuinely upset about what she shared. So the team continuing to cheer while Haley was screaming in the building.

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The Ravens won their first game and everyone was extremely excited. The boys went on the track to meet the cheerleaders. Nathan immediately asked Brooke where Haley was, who told Nathan what Rachel had told her.

When the group got to the nurse's office, she said that Haley had never been in, and everyone began to worry. This was the second time in a week that she was missing, and the first time didn't end up nicely.

Nathan ran around frantically, checking classrooms for his wife, when he heard the distant sound of music.

The four teenagers took off towards the tutor center, where the music was clearly coming from, but the door was locked.

Brooke whipped out a set of keys while everyone looked at her suspiciously, "What? As cheer captain, I need access to all facilities." With that, she unlocked the door, and Nathan barreled inside. What he saw broke his heart.

Haley sat with her legs curled to her chest, rocking back and forth with her hands over her ears, clearly in pain. Nathan slowly walked over to her and picked her up bridal style. Feeling his arms, Haley tucked her head in his neck while she sobbed.

The music was still playing as they left the room.

The gang went to the apartment where Nathan helped Haley change and put her in bed. He then joined everyone on the couch.

Peyton explained what she told to Haley, and while she saw the looks of disappointment in her friends' eyes, she carried on.

"… but I have the perfect plan to stop her." The blonde finished her spiel, and everyone listened closely.

 **Wow that was a long one! So Peyton confesses, let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright I'm back! Sorry for the wait! There is a scene in this that is basically in the show but paraphrased because I couldn't remember it all lol. I also have posted the prologue to my next story so check it out please!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill**

Haley was restless in bed, tossing and turning. She was having dreams about Chris, his voice, him haunting her. It was traumatizing.

She woke up in a cold sweat, and upon seeing that it was dark in the room and she was alone, she started crying.

Getting out of bed in a hurry, she ran into the main room of the apartment, only to find all her friends gathered on the couch.

When he saw Haley enter the room, Nathan stood up and began walking towards her. She ran the last couple of steps, throwing her arms around him. He guided her to the couch where she curled into his side.

After a few moments of silence only filled with Haley's sobs, she sat up abruptly and wiped her eyes.

"God, I am so sick of crying. I'm so sick of being scared!"

"Maybe you should see someone, like a therapist," Brooke suggested.

"I'll even come with you," Nathan added.

After thinking about it, Haley agreed that it was the best idea for her.

"I have someone who can help. I saw her after my mom died and she's great," Peyton helped. "I can call her to see you."

Haley was apprehensive. She always saw the best in people, but Peyton really let her down. "And why should I trust you?"

Peyton sighed. She knew she had betrayed Haley's trust. "Because I'm sorry and I want to regain your trust, all of you guys' trust. I've been an awful friend and I need to make up for that."

Haley stared at her for a couple of seconds before nodding and resting her head on Nathan's chest.

"Talking short term, we really need to discuss what we are going to do for the dress up party at Tric!" Brooke exclaimed, clearly thrilled about the new topic.

"Why is there a dress up party now when Halloween is two months away?" Lucas questioned.

"Because Halloween is two months away and I'm impatient," Brooke said is a 'duh' tone.

Everyone laughed. "I love you Brooke Davis," Haley giggled.

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"Haley, I look ridiculous! I'm not coming out."

"Well if you don't come out, I'm coming in! 5..4..3..2..1"

Lucas and Haley were costume shopping together for the masquerade that night, and as Haley counted down, Lucas stepped out in a cave man costume.

Trying to stifle her laughs, Haley choked out, "I bet Brooke will love it."

"I look ridiculous; I'm trying something else."

Five minutes later Lucas came out as Jack Sparrow from Pirates in the Caribbean.

"Hot!" Haley exclaimed while nodding her head in approval, but quickly retracted her words when she saw her best friend raise is eyebrow in question. "Not like that, I mean I wasn't looking… Ugh."

Lucas laughed at her attempted explanation. "Speaking of hot, I saw a belly dancer costume over there for you. Nathan won't know what hit him."

Haley sighed, "Yeah, well Brooke is insisting that I be Sandy from Grease because it's the classic 'Get My Man Back' outfit, but let's face it, when has Nathan ever seen Grease?"

"Just try on the costume here and if you like it, then tell Brooke that you're going a different way with your outfit. And coming from Nathan's brother, I'm pretty sure he'd rather see your skin than you clad in a leather cat suit. As your best friend, I say you go as an Eskimo and show nothing at all."

After a second, the petite blonde agreed. "I'm trying it on."

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"Brooke?" Haley called as she entered the apartment.

"In here!" Stepping into the main room, Haley came across a mess of fabric and glitter, with her roommate sitting on top of it all. "Ready to see your costume?! I have the wig and the suit all set up!"

"About that… Brooke I got another costume… please don't hurt me."

Brooke looked at her roommate stunned. "I'm sorry what? Why? Sandy is perfect for you, all covered up but sexy as hell! Why would you want to be something else?"

"Well, I'm going out of my comfort zone tonight. Girls like Rachel are trying to get Nathan's attention, and I want his eyes only on me."

"Damn Tutor Girl, it's about time you started fighting fire with fire!"

Haley smiled nervously, she only hoped she could keep up with everyone else tonight.

The shrill of the phone ringing broke Haley from her thoughts. She answered it and brought the receiver to her face.

"Hello, this is Haley."

There was no one on the other end.

"Hello?"

Only deep breathing came through the phone.

"Hello? Is this some kind of prank call because I'm hanging up."

And with that, she put down the phone.

"Who was that?" Brooke called from her position on the floor.

"I don't know, there was only heavy breathing on the other end. Probably Rachel up to another one of her tricks."

"Well," Brooke started, "We can always make sure. Don't forget that we have eyes on the inside now."

With that, the brunette whipped out her cell and texted her friend.

Brooke: Hey P. Sawyer, know anything about Rachel calling the apartment and breathing into the receiver.

Peyton: She called me over, I'm with her now and she hasn't done anything like that…

Brooke: Oh.. Okay, well let us know what the slut is up too.

"It wasn't Rachel."

Haley sighed, no big deal, right? "No worries, it's probably just some punk prank calling us."

Both girls were worried on the inside, despite their nonchalant behavior about it. But despite their worries, they began to get ready for the party.

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Lights beamed across the dance floor and dozens of teens clad in costumes danced together. Standing at the bar stood two brothers, one dressed as a pirate, and the other, reluctantly, as Aladdin.

"Why did you tell me to be a Disney prince again? I look stupid!" Nathan raged for the seventh time that night.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "First of all, not to inflate your ego, but judging by the number girls looking at you lustfully, I doubt you look stupid. And second, trust me you will be satisfied soon."

After a few minutes, three girls walked into the boys' sights. Lucas smirked over at his brother, hoping to gage his reaction.

Nathan put his drink down and looked up to find Haley walking towards him. And boy was it a sight to be seen. She was wearing a turquoise bra top that went off the shoulders and showed off a considerable amount of cleavage, and mesh pants that were see though, completely showing the turquoise spandex that kept from showing everything. Hanging from her bellybutton was gold jewelry and her cascading straight hair only covered up her large gold hoops just barely.

Nathan's jaw dropped. He didn't know what was stronger, the urge to jump her right there or to whisk her out of the view of all the guys entranced as she passed by.

Haley didn't know what to think of Nathan's reaction. Clearly he was shocked, but other than that she couldn't tell. Waiting for his reaction, she looked him once over and was pleased with how the open vest on his chest revealed his chiseled abs.

"So, what do you think?" Haley finally asked, wanting to gage his thoughts.

"Wo-ow… I, um, wow…"

"Is wow a good thing?" Haley giggled.

Nathan took a step forward towards her so he could grab her by her bare waist. "Definitely a good thing," he whispered in her ear.

Haley shivered at his breath so close to her face, but the moment was interrupted when Rachel approached the duo in a blonde wig and a much too tight red dress, an attempt at Pamela Anderson.

"Hey Nathan, wanna dance?"

Haley couldn't believe the audacity of the girl. Asking her husband to dance when she, his wife was standing right in front of him? She looked over at Nathan expecting to see him looking disgusted, but was shocked and even a little hurt when she saw him smirking at Rachel.

"Now why would I do that when I have my own personal belly dancer right here," he said as he pulled Haley back into his chest, his fingers grazing the gold jewelry on her stomach. "So, Princess Jasmine, may I have this dance?"

Haley giggled and pressed her hands against Nathan's firm chest. "Why of course Mr. Aladdin!"

And with that, the couple took to the dance floor, leaving an irritated Rachel behind.

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Brooke leaned against the bar next to Lucas and Peyton. "Ya know, those two were made for each other," she said as they all watched Nathan whispering something sweet into Haley's ear and Haley laughing at what ever he said.

"They look so happy," Peyton remarked. Lucas and Brooke looked at her kind of smugly. "Yes, yes I know, I was trying to keep them apart but now I'm not, okay?" she remarked laughing.

The trio looked back to the dance floor, but the couple was missing.

"Where did they go?"

"Nathan, where are we going?" Haley laughed as her husband pulled her through one of Tric's hallways.

Not saying anything, Nathan brought them to a door and pulled them in. "May I interest you in a magic carpet ride, Princess?" He asking jokingly, pointing to the fancy carpet on the ground.

"Why of course," she giggled.

Instead of sitting on the couch, Nathan pulled her to the couch, where she sat on his lap. He tucked her hair behind her ear, and caressed her face.

"How did we get here?" he whispered.

Curiously, she looked into his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Nathan sighed. "Less than a week ago, we were so far from who we used to be, and now we are sitting here on this couch, and I honestly can't think of why I was mad in the first place. And I'm scared to get hurt again."

Haley grabbed his face. "You were mad because I left you to pursue music. I thought like a teenager for the first time in my life," they both laughed softly, "I acted selfishly, and I told you we rushed into marriage. And I was wrong."

"You might have been wrong about some of the things you said, but you weren't wrong to pursue music. I was wrong to give you an ultimatium. It never should have been either or. I gave you an ultimatum and I lived with the consequences." Nathan said.

Closing her eyes, Haley rested her forehead on Nathan's. "The night I left the tour, we were playing at some bar in Illinois, and Chris sang a cover of "Missing You" and everyone was singing along and they flipped on the house lights and I could see all 3000 people. And I just broke down. Couldn't sing, couldn't play. I just cried in front of a whole stadium because I realized that none of them were you. No one could fill the void I had in my heart for you and no one ever will. Because, you Nathan Scott, are the love of my life and I do love you so."

Nathan sat there soaking in everything she said, and for the first time since he left for camp, he leaned in and kissed her. It was gentle and sweet, but sparks were flying between the two. It began to get more passionate, more intense. He was soon slipping his tongue in her mouth. His hands fell to her bare waist, pushing her in and out to begin to create friction while her hands nestled in his hair.

"That was hot," Brooke said, standing in the doorway, unknowingly to the couple, and having seen the make out. They broke apart hastily, but remained seated. "Which reminds me. Tutor Girl, Lucas and I are heading out, I think it's gonna be a black scrunchie." And with that, she left the room.

Haley and Nathan turned to look at each other, and Nathan said,

"Looks like you're spending the night."

 **PLEASE REVIEW! Also, I changed a lot of the ending because Nathan and Haley had to talk things out, the other version just moved way too fast and I honestly hated it.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Woo it's been a while and I apologize. I am graduating soon so I promise to write more! I plan on updating Fame Games within the week. On with the story.**

 **IMPORTANT**

 **Make sure you read the update version of chapter 10 or you won't understand what's going on. It was the ENDING that changed.**

 **Disclaimer: Own nothing.**

 _"Looks like you're spending the night."_

Nathan and Haley walked out of TRIC hand in hand. Their walk to the car was quiet but peaceful. Pulling on the handle, Nathan opened the door for Haley, helping her in the SUV his mom let him use.

Once he was buckled in, he started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I never got to ask you what it's like living with your parents again," Haley enquired, playing with his fingers that rested on her thigh.

Sighing, Nathan shifted in his seat. "It's not enjoyable, to say the least. You are a much preferred roommate," he said, turning to look at her with a smirk. She giggled in reply, and urged him to continue.

"It's just hard. Mom wants a divorce, and Dad said he'd give it to her after his mayoral campaign is complete. Can you believe that? He's using us, making it seem like we are a perfect family when we are probably one of the most dysfunctional ones in Tree Hill."

Haley slowly caressed his hand with her soft thumb. "I'm sorry baby. I hate seeing him hurt you."

Nathan pulled her hand to his lips. "As soon as it's over, he'll be gone, and I can finally get away from him. And then after graduation, I'll get the hell out of this town and all the screwed up people in it."

Haley frowned upon hearing this, not knowing if he was including her in that statement. It made her question what they were as a couple. Were they dating or were they married? Or was he thinking something else entirely?

Before she could prompt him on it, the car was sliding up the driveway. Nathan put the car in park and went around the front to open Haley's door for her. Grabbing her hand, they made their way up to the front door.

Dan swirled his scotch in the glass, sitting at the kitchen counter when Deb walked by. Grabbing her arm, he turned her to face him.

"What the hell do you think that stunt was earlier?"

Deb pulled her arm out of his grasp. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Dan scoffed. "When you walked front of endorsers in your underwear? You might want to watch it, because I will ruin you."

"What can you do, Dan?" she remarked. "The divorce will be finalized at the end of your campaign and there isn't anything else you could do that I haven't suffered through."

Just then, Nathan walked through the front door with Haley behind him. Making eye contact with his parents, Nathan quickly grabbed Haley by the waist and rushed her up the stairs in front of him.

Dan smirked at Deb. "Who said it would be you who suffered?" And with that, he slowly made his way up the stairs.

Nathan opened his bedroom door and dropped Haley's hand as he makes his way to his dresser drawers.

"What are you looking for?"

"Clothes for bed. Although I wouldn't mind seeing you in that Jasmine costume for a while longer," Nathan confessed, smiling at the laugh she let out in response.

Digging through the top drawer, he pulled out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Holding them up, he smirked at Haley and said, "Top or bottom?"

She looked in shock, wondering if he was actually being serious. Walking up to him with a smirk of her own, she pulled on the boxers but not enough to release them from Nathan's grip.

"Bottom," she whispered. Looking at his surprised face, she grabbed the shirt instead and made her way back towards the door laughing.

Nathan shook his head in amusement. Only Haley. Once he changed into the boxers, he looked up to see his wife stripped out of her costume and only standing in her bra and panties with a giant smirk on her face.

She enjoyed his look of awe as he checked out her body, but her face reddens with blush. "Like what you see?"

"Of course," he replied in a husky voice as he made his way towards her.

Just as his hands came to rest on her bare waist, there was a knock on the door. Haley looked up at her husband with panic written across her face, unsure of what to do with the situation at hand.

Nathan mumbled a quiet "shit" under his breath before swiftly taking the shirt from Haley and sliding it over her head. She adjusted the shirt to its proper position just as Dan made his entrance.

Quickly pulling his wife behind him, Nathan turned to face his father.

Dan frowned at how close the teenagers seemed, but quickly replaced it with a smile.

"Didn't know you were slumming, Nathan. Don't wear yourself out too much tonight, we are training tomorrow. Oh, and don't forget to take the trash out before you leave," he remarked, making direct eye contact with his daughter-in-law before stepping out of the room and down the hall.

Nathan sighed in exasperation. "Why is it that every time we are having a moment or anything, someone has to walk in and ruin it?"

Haley turned Nathan by his torso and rested her head on his chest. "Fate?" she offered.

Little to their knowledge, Deb was standing in the doorway, watching the interaction. She watched as Nathan brought his lips to Haley's forehead and sighed. This was the first time since Haley left for the tour that she had seen her son so content, and before meeting Haley, she had never seen the look on his face.

Thinking back on her part in raising Nathan, Deb realized she spent most of his childhood absent, whether on a business trip or her affair when he was eleven. And when she returned for good last winter, it was just too late. He had grown up at the hands of Dan and any child who had to endure that, well, turned out cold and unforgiving, just like her soon to be ex-husband.

Only Haley had been able to reverse the effects of years of psychological damage Dan endured on Nathan, and Deb cringed thinking about how long she had spent last spring trying to remove Haley from her son's life. She was upset that Haley had stolen her son from her, but reality was, her son was never hers. Not after she handed him over to the devil himself.

With that, Deb walked away, leaving the couple in peace.

Haley crawled into bed and snuggled into Nathan's chest, smiling as his arms wrapped around her. Looking up, she found herself captured in his bright blue eyes that only reflected love back at her. Slowly, Nathan dipped his head to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. It was slow but sensual, a reunion after so long apart. They hadn't kissed since before he left for High Flyers.

Haley let her hands slide up and down his chest as she laid over him. They parted only when air became an issue.

Looking down at her husband, Haley pecked his lips once and settled back on his chest, whispering an "I love you" and drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Nathan ran his hand through her blonde locks as he felt her breath become shallow and steady, and then followed her into a deep rest.

Downstairs in the study, Dan was working on his second scotch of the night. Opening his email, he saw he had one new email in his inbox from rgatina . He opened it and read:

Mr. Scott,

It has come to my attention that you and I are both fighting for a similar cause: Nathan's independence from his so-called wife Haley. I have already planted a few tricks, but they have seemed to prematurely backfire. So I am calling for your help. From what I hear, you believe Haley is a nuisance to Nathan and a distraction as he works towards getting offers from the scouts. Luckily, I am here to help get rid of her. You are known as a mastermind at these things, so let me know when you're interested to start.

Rachel Gatina

Smirking at the computer, Dan cracked his knuckles and clicked reply.

Dear Ms. Gatina,

I'm glad you've contacted me.

I'm sure we can work something out…

 **Now Dan is involved mwah ha ha. Let me know what you think and REVIEW**


	12. Chapter 12

**Alright, here we are, chapter 12! Sorry it took so long I've just really lost inspiration. I honestly have no idea how long this story will be, but I'm thinking a maximum of 20 chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hills or any of the affiliated characters.**

The sun began to rise on the Scott household. Inside laid Nathan and Haley, contently sleeping in one another's arms. Nathan laid on his stomach with his arm around his wife, whose head was nuzzled into his neck, breathing in his sweet scent unknowingly with every breath.

 _Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

Nathan's free arm swung out as he attempted to snooze the alarm clock. Fluttering his eyes open, he was finally able to turn it off. Looking back over at the woman in his arms, he smiled, wishing that they could go back in time when every morning was like that.

Pushing her hair away from her face, Nathan left a full kiss on her cheek before trailing his hand down her back and sliding out of bed.

He rummaged through his dresser drawers as quietly as possible, pulling out a pair of basketball shorts and a cut-off to run in. Quickly kneeling next to his bedside table, he scribbled a note for Haley.

There was a sudden stir from the bed. Nathan watched as Haley curled into his pillow, breathing in his scent and sighing contently. Leaving one last kiss on her forehead, Nathan made his way out of his room, but not before locking the door from the inside first.

At the top of the stairs was the sight Nathan didn't like waking up to, Dan Scott, ready to train at 5:30 in the morning.

"Dad," he acknowledged with a small nod, making his way past Dan down the stairs.

"Nice to see you up and ready to train. Thought the old ball and chain might have worn you out last night, but that doesn't seem to be the case," Dan chuckled, knowing he was preying on his son's nerves.

Nathan halted on the stairs at his father's words. Slowly turning around, he glared at Dan before walking down the rest of the steps and raising his middle finger as he walked out the front door, slamming it shut in the process.

Dan grinned evilly, knowing he succeeded in pissing off Nathan. He quickly made his way to his son's bedroom door, hoping to give Haley a wake up call that would make sure she was gone by the time he and Nathan returned from their workout, but his plans diminished as he felt the knob stop under his hands as he tried to turn it open.

 _Sneaky bastard,_ he thought as he made his way down the stairs and out the door, just like his son minutes before.

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Nathan was surprised at how quickly his father caught up to him. _Isn't he supposed to have a heart condition?_ He pondered.

Their run was silent, only the sounds of their heavy breathing filling the air. Nathan knew that if they spoke, Dan would only try dragging Haley through the mud, so he avoided conversation at all costs.

As they turn the corner, a flash caught Nathan's eye. Standing there on the other side of the street was a man in a brown trench coat with a camera in front of his face. Not knowing what to think, Nathan kept running without saying anything, hoping to keep the silence during the whole dreaded run.

Unfortunately, Dan had other plans.

"So, I hear there is a new girl in your grade? Rachel Gatina?"

Nathan rolled his eyes. Of course Dan would know about Haley's tormentor. "Yeah, what about her?"

"What's she like? I hear her father is big in the business world," Dan commented with an impartial voice.

"What can I say, Dad. She's a bitch. Since her first day at Tree Hill High she's been tormenting Haley and trying to one up Brooke Davis. Not a smart move if you ask me."

Dan pretended to ponder this information, although he already knew it from the girl's email the previous night.

"Maybe she's what you need to get back on track with basketball," Dan advised. "She seems easy enough to be used for the necessities without the commitment."

Nathan shook his head, unsurprised that Dan had simply disregarded Haley.

"Yeah, Dad. Just one problem. I'm married."

"Not for long. As soon-to-be mayor, I can up the timing of your divorce by 9 months and soon, you can be a free man," Dan smirked, "besides, Haley seems to be packing the baby weight. You'll want to get out of that one as fast as you can."

Nathan abruptly stopped with his mouth wide open. Dan really would say anything to drive a wedge between him and Haley, even if it cost Nathan his happiness.

Without another word, Nathan turned around and began running back home at a pace he knew Dan wouldn't be able to keep up with.

"Nathan! Nathan!" Dan called, pissed that his son left him alone when there were more hired photographers ahead for his campaign. Anger quickly took over his body as he whipped out his cell phone and scrolled through his address book.

"Hey. Remember that deal we made? Well, do it now."

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Deb was awake when her husband and son left for their morning workout. She knew Dan would push Nathan, but she was glad her son would have something stable to come home to. She had watched as Dan tried to open her son's bedroom door earlier, and had let out a sigh of relief when she realized the door was locked. Nathan finally seemed to be one step ahead of his father.

Deb was currently stationed in the kitchen, making breakfast sandwiches, knowing the men would come in hungry and that Haley would be too when she woke up.

Haley began to stir from her peaceful sleep. It had been the best rest she'd had since she left on tour. Sitting up in Nathan's bed, the note he left her caught her eye.

She picked it up and began to read:

 _Dear Hales,_

 _If you're reading this, then it means I am still out running with my dad when you woke up. I hope your dreams were sweet. I had forgotten how cute of a sleeper you were._

 _I'll see you soon_

 _Xoxo,_

 _Nathan_

Haley smiled at the note, happy that he had thought of her before he left. Getting up, she opened his closet, hoping to find clothes that she would be able to make it down stairs in. Obviously, her costume from the night before was ruled out as she stared at the pieces stung across the door handles of the closet.

Opening the double doors, she was encountered by multiple boxes stacked on top of one another. They all had labels on the side in black sharpie. _Clothes. Junk. Music._ What surprised her was the box that said _Her Stuff._

Haley knew when she got back to Tree Hill that some of her stuff was missing, but she just assumed Nathan had thrown it out, not that she didn't deserve it.

Looking through the box, Haley found music books and picture albums, as well as a few articles of clothing.

Pulling out a yellow sundress, she smiled. It had been the dress she wore the day Nathan had taken her to dinner after a long shift at the garage. They went to the beach afterwards, and she had fallen asleep in his arms. The next thing she remembered was laying in their bed as he peeled the dress from her body and replaced it with one of her negligees.

Standing up, she put on the dress and using one of Nathan's brushes, combed her hair into perfect waves.

Haley bounded down the steps lightly on her bare feet. Walking into the kitchen, she saw Deb over the stove, trying to cook the bacon.

"Need any help?" the girl asked, knowing cooking wasn't exactly Deb's forte.

Deb grinned at her and laughed. "Please? You'd think that after working at a café for almost a year, I would be able to make something as simple as breakfast sandwiches!"

Haley giggled. "That's why we have a chef still."

The two ladies continued their chatter, oblivious to the front door opening.

Nathan leaned with his back against the counter, happy to see his mother and wife working together and getting along, just like they did before he and Haley got married.

Deb turned around to see her son smiling at his wife and decided to toast the bagels in an attempt to give them privacy.

Haley wiped her hands on the dish towel as two arms wrapped around her waist. She giggled as Nathan's face pressed into the crook of her neck.

"Good morning," he whispered, leaving small, open-mouthed kisses along her neck and collarbone.

"Good morning," she sighed. Turning around, she smacked him with the towel. "Ugh, you stink!"

Nathan laughed and kissed her chastely. "I'll see you after I shower."

Haley just smiled as she watched him make his way up the stairs.

Deb watched the whole exchange in silence, and as soon as she heard her son's bathroom door close, she walked up to Haley with two mugs of coffee.

Haley accepted the cup and brought it to her lips. "How are things with you and Dan? Last Nathan told me you were divorcing."

"Trust me, it's not from a lack of trying," Deb laughed. "He dated the divorce papers to the end of his campaign. Until then, we're stuck."

Haley was about to respond when the sound of glass shattering filled the room. Looking into the living room, Haley and Deb saw a figure dressed in black and a ski mask crushing the window with a crowbar. Gasping, Deb pushed Haley towards the stairs.

The man made his way towards the women. He ran past Deb, knocking her into the counter in an attempt to catch Haley.

Haley scrambled up the stairs when he caught her foot, dragging her back down. She screamed in fear and began to kick her legs furiously in an attempt to break free.

Her foot finally came loose and she crawled to the top of the steps where she began to sprint down the hallway.

Suddenly an arm grabbed her waist and pulled her into Nathan's bedroom. She stood pinned against the door as Nathan hovered above her, wearing nothing but a towel that hung loosely from his hips.

Clutching his arms, Haley buried her face in Nathan's chest while he asked the question they both wanted to know:

"What the hell just happened?"

 **Aye, plot twist cliff hanger kinda… Leave a review and I will be more likely to update sooner for the shear fact that the notifications will remind me lol.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Yay yay chapter 13! Sorry it took me so long. I've been dealing with my first month at college and some anxiety, but I will try to upload more!**

Haley stared up at her husband as he had her pressed to his bedroom door with his hand over her mouth, silently listening for the intruder.

When nothing happened, Nathan pulled back, and grabbing Haley's wrist, brought her back to his dresser where he grabbed his phone.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My name is Nathan Scott, I'm at 542 Hillside Drive. Someone has broken into my house with my mom, my wife, and me inside."

"Sir, we have local officers arriving at the scene any moment now. Deb Scott already called after clearing out of the premises. If you can, we need you to get out of the house immediately."

Nathan handed Haley the phone and began to put on boxers, shorts, and a shirt.

"What are we gonna do?" Haley whispered, clutching the phone tightly in her hands.

Nathan searched around his closet before pulling out a baseball bat. "We're gonna get out of here by all means necessary."

Grabbing her arm, Nathan pulled Haley towards the door. Opening it slightly, the coast seemed to be clear. Nathan opened the door wider with the bat in his hands when the figure in black appeared suddenly, grabbing the bat.

Nathan's quick reflexes kicked in before Haley had a chance to scream. He kicked the intruder where the sun don't shine, but could feel his foot come in contact with a hard surface, meaning one thing: this guy was wearing a cup.

While the kick didn't inhibit him, it did send the guy backwards, giving Nathan enough time to slam the door shut and relock it.

Haley yelped in combination of the intruder's sudden appearance and the loud slamming of the door.

She yelped again when they heard the bat clanking against the metal knob.

Nathan backed Haley into the dresser, putting as much distance between her and the intruder as possible.

Door knob began to fall lose, clearly showing sign that the other side was breaking under the pressure of the bat. Nathan prepared for the worst when the door opened.

Haley caught a glimpse of the guy's smirk in his ski mask and gasped. She knew that smirk. Grabbing the closest thing near her, she threw a small stone trophy at him, clipping the side of the jaw, causing him to grunt and hunch over.

Before Nathan could react and attack the guy, all three stood frozen as they heard the police sirens outside of the room. The intruder immediately stood up and ran out the room.

Nathan began to start after him, but Haley grabbed his arm to hold him back.

"Please, you'll wind up getting hurt," she rationed.

Against his better judgment, Nathan stayed behind and pulled her into his arms, waiting for the police to come in and give them the clear.

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Deb Scott always thought she was safe living in her neighborhood. Her (soon-to-be ex) husband was wealthy and was able to afford the best security systems on the market. And though Dan Scott's enemies had plenty of motive, there weren't to many of them.

Now, she was standing with the police with an ice pack pressed against her head, answering police questions and waiting for her son and daughter-in-law to come out of the house. Cars filled with reporters began to roll up.

Nathan and Haley were escorted out by police, and Deb immediately ran up to them, throwing her arms around both of them tightly. "Oh, thank God you guys are okay!"

The scene was interrupted when an officer came to ask Haley and Nathan questions about the incident. They began to reencounter what happened merely ten minutes before.

Running up on the scene was Dan Scott, and the reporters began to go wild for the mayoral candidate.

"Alright, someone tell me what the hell happened!" he boomed with concern laced in his voice.

Walking over to where Deb, Nathan, and Haley were talking to the police, he began his quest for "answers".

"Sir, this is an ongoing investigation, we are still trying to collect facts," an officer said.

"Well as the owner of this house and the future mayor of this town, you better start talking fast," Dan responded.

The officer seemed frazzled by Dan, and called over his chief.

"Mr. Scott, if you could calm down, we are still conducting the investigation but we will tell you what we know. At 7:23 this morning, someone dressed in all black broke through your back door and proceeded to chase after your wife and daughter-in-law. After knocking over Deb, he followed Haley upstairs and attempted to break into your son's room, where both he and Haley were. We have that he is about 6 foot and Caucasian, but that is about it. Motive so far is looking like this guy was after your daughter-in-law, sir."

Dan smirked inside. Everything was going as planned. On the outside, he maintained a horrified and concerned appearance. "Do you think he will come back for her?"

The chief shrugged. "We have no other information of the guy other than what we've been told. Only time will tell what he really wants."

Dan was almost giddy inside. Everything was going exactly as planned. "Well, we can't just have her living in her one-bedroom apartment with minimal security if this guy is still on the loose. Haley, you will move in with us promptly. As a member of the Scott family, you have my word that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."

Nathan looked at his father skeptically. After their morning run, he wasn't too keen on the idea that Dan Scott meant what he said about keeping Haley safe. However, if Haley was under the same roof as him, Nathan would be able to keep an eye on her more and protect her himself.

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Later that afternoon, Nathan, Haley, Peyton, Lucas, and Brooke were in the apartment, packing up Haley's stuff.

"Okay, remind me again why we are moving Haley out when we've all said that Dan's plan seems very suspicious. I mean, Nathan, you even said this morning that he was all keen on having Haley back in your life," Brooke pointed out.

Nathan moved a box over on the bed and began to pack more clothes. "Because, something isn't right about what Dan said. He seemed not to concerned that a guy just broke into our house, but more concerned with Haley, which, no offence babe, is totally unlike him. I think he might have something to do with it. And I'm not gonna risk Haley being here alone with this guy on the loose or put both her and Brooke in danger. Plus, I'll be able to keep an eye on things."

"Makes sense," Lucas said, "but why would Dan want Haley in the house if he's trying to get her out of your life?"

No one had a response, except Haley, who was sorting through pictures. "I don't think it was Dan. Or at least it wasn't just all Dan."

"What are you talking about Haley?" Peyton asked.

Haley held up the picture of her on stage singing the first night at Tric. In the back of the picture, you could see Chris Keller smirking. "I think it was Chris who broke in."

Everyone now had something to say.

"What do you mean it was Chris?" Brooke yelled, worried for her friend.

"C'mon Nathan, didn't that smirk seem a little to familiar? And the guy never talked, because we would know who it was right away," Haley said directed to her husband.

Nathan's jaw locked. He knew she was right. Chris was definitely in the house. The question was why? And what part did Dan have to play with it?

"Well, if it was Chris, I'm even more skeptical about you living with Dan Scott, but we all know Nathan would die before letting that sleaze put another hand on you," Lucas said.

The group continued to do their work. Lucas opened up Haley's dresser drawer to pack more clothes but backed away.

Brooke stifled a laugh at the look on his face. "Broody, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Lucas cringed. "It's nothing, I just think this is more Nathan's jurisdiction."

Nathan curiously walked over and the group watched as his face lit up and his signature smirk fell across his lips. Picking up a royal blue lacy thong, he said, "Lingerie, my favorite!"

Haley gasped and knocked the garment out of his hands and back into the drawer.

"Hey!" Nathan yelled in protest. Grabbing her waist from behind, he began to tickle her. The other three watched on as Haley squealed and squirmed in his arms, laughing and smiling. They were all thinking the same thing: Boy is it nice to see Nathan happy again.

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 _Try the school's time capsule. Won't contain anything pretty from that time period._

Dan heard the garage door open and saw Nathan and Haley enter carrying bags and boxes.

"Perfect, you guys are just in time. Deb just finished setting up the guest bedroom for you Haley, I'm sure Nathan can show you the way."

Haley looked at Nathan perplexed. She thought that they would be sharing his room, but didn't want to go against what Dan said and cause more problems.

Nathan glared at his dad, knowing Haley wouldn't go against what he said.

The two walked past Dan silently towards the stairs and Dan smirked on.

Nathan placed Haley's stuff in the guest bedroom and immediately walked out. Haley sat on the bed perplexed. Was he mad that she didn't choose to ignore Dan and go in his bedroom?

Just as she was going to find him, Nathan came back with boxes of his own. Haley smiled when she saw that they were his own clothes and began to put them in the dresser while he went back to his room.

A few trips later, and the room was completely refurnished. The TV in front of the bed now had an Xbox hooked up to it, and there were pictures of Nathan and Haley, together and with friends, all over the dresser drawers.

The couple was laying in bed, watching a movie on the TV when Dan and Deb passed by.

"What's all this?" Dan asked.

Nathan smirked. "Well, I thought that maybe I should move in with Haley considering my door is completely mangled. Gotta get that fixed before I move back in there."

Deb covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Nathan had intentionally one-upped Dan, and it was obvious to them both.

Dan, however, just glared at his son and walked out.


	14. Chapter 14

Dan Scott had never been so irked by one person in his whole life. If Haley James had just stayed in her place and left Nathan alone, he wouldn't have emancipated himself, let alone gotten married.

"Stupid girl," he mumbled to himself.

 _Ring! Ring!_

Dan whipped out his phone, immediately putting it up to his ear, not even bothering with checking caller ID. "Hello?"

"It's done," was all that was said from the other line.

Dan grinned to himself. Haley James would soon be out of Nathan's life by her own choice, and he couldn't be more proud of himself. "Perfect."

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Nathan heard the alarm go off, but had no desire to reach over and snooze it. A thin arm ran over his chest, reaching for the clock next to him. Her arm wasn't long enough, so she shifted her chest onto his and hit the button. Before she could move, Nathan had his arms wrapped around her torso, trapping her on top of him.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he sighed, opening his eyes and smiling.

"Mmm… morning." She laughed as his hands made his way underneath her shirt. "Someone's eager."

Nathan growled as he peppered her neck with kisses and rolled them over. Looking down at the sight of his girl sprawled out underneath him, her golden hair cascading over the pillow, and her beautiful brown eyes staring deep into his was one of the best scenes he could see in the morning. "I love you, Haley James."

She pecked his lips before saying "I love you, too, Nathan Scott."

Nathan walked out of the bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth to see Haley sliding on her jeans. He admired the view from the back, and smirked when she saw him staring through the mirror in the bedroom.

Haley turned around and threw her pajama shirt at him, catching him in the chest as he caught it with one hand.

"You're sexy, Hales. I can't deny that." And with that, he headed back into the bathroom.

Haley blushed and continued to get ready. She smiled in the mirror as she sprayed on her perfume. Finally, after months of waiting, her and Nathan were back together. Sure, they would probably take it slow, figure out what the future had in store, but they were in it for the long hall.

"Knock, knock," a voice said from outside the bedroom door. Deb popped her head in and waved to Haley. "Just wanted to let you know that I have breakfast ready downstairs for the two of you when you're ready."

Haley smiled back. Deb really had been making an effort to show her approval of Nathan and Haley's relationship. She figured that Deb knew Nathan was better off broke and married then he was under Dan's supervision.

"Thanks, Deb. We'll be right down."

Deb turned around to head downstairs, only to come face to face with her soon to be ex-husband.

"What are you doing Deb? Sucking up to the enemy? In case you've forgotten, it was Hades in there who got Nathan to emancipate himself and marry her!" Dan was fuming.

"Well, Dan, can you blame him for wanting to get away? We were never truly there for him when he needed us, and Haley was," Deb retorted.

"Really? So she was there after going on tour? She was there when Nathan crashed that damn race car? As far as I can recall, it was us, his parents, who were by his side during his darkest times, not Haley James."

Deb sighed. Dan was truly too stubborn to see the flaws in his thinking. "She's back, and that's all that seems to matter for Nathan. All I'm trying to do now is be here for him. And Haley. They both need the support after the hell we and this town have put them through."

Dan backed Deb into the wall. "She deserves nothing from us! Especially nothing from Nathan. The sooner she's out of his life, the better."

Deb rolled her eyes and made her way down the stairs, not looking back.

Dan watched her walk away, and then turned to see Nathan dragging Haley by the hand out of their new living space, much to his dismay.

"Morning, son. Hannah," he greeted, knowing it would peeve them both off. That's exactly what he needed for today to go as planned; they both needed to be slightly agitated.

Nathan rolled his eyes at his father. "Isn't it a little early to be acting like an ass, Dad?"

With that, the duo passed the mayoral candidate so they could eat breakfast before school.

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Brooke felt strange walking into school. She wasn't sure how to describe it, but something felt off. When she passed Rachel in the morning, the slutty redhead couldn't seem to get her smirk off her face. And when Brooke confronted Peyton, hoping she might have some inside information left, her blonde best friend couldn't supply any insight as she "has officially been removed from Rachel's plan-making" and that she fears "Rachel has a new partner in crime, who is more devious than what she could find in Peyton."

From the corner of her eye, she could see Nathan and Haley walking towards their lockers, hand-in-hand with happy smiles gracing their faces. She sighed.

Two arms wrapped around Brooke's back. "Hey Pretty Girl, how you feeling?"

Brooke turned around to face Lucas. "I feel strange, like I'm about to be exposed or something… Does that make sense?"

Lucas looked perplexed. "I mean, not real—"

He was interrupted when the hallway TV flashed on.

"Trust is a lie. You can never really trust anyone." An angry Nathan from the previous spring had taken over the screen, spilling out his frustrations for the school to hear. "I hope fifty years from now, Haley, you got what you wanted. My biggest mistake was marrying you."

Haley stared at the screen, her heart breaking at the words coming from her husband's mouth on the TV. Her hand went slack in his, and she couldn't hear what he was trying to say right next to her.

"Nate, man, what the hell is going on?" Lucas asked.

"I don't know, I mean, that was my time capsule video… Oh God, someone released the time capsule!"

Brooke's eyes widened at this revelation. "We need to shut it off now!"

"I agree, this could get ugly really fast," Lucas commented.

Nathan sighed. "It already has." Looking at Haley, he cringed realizing her eyes hadn't left the screen, despite the fact that they were quickly filling with tears. She finally turned to look at him, but the words wouldn't come out.  
"Haley, I can explain. I was—"

Brooke cut him off in a panic. "You can explain later, Romeo! We need to get this thing off of the screens. Right. Now."

Lucas laughed a little. "Come on Brooke, you couldn't have said anything too horrible in yours."

"It's not about what I _said_!"

The gang was perplexed about her attitude. They all watched in dismay as Principle Turner and Whitey discovered the cut key in the lock to the media room.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Brooke cried as she came on screen. Her old self was talking, but Brooke Davis was on a mission. Grabbing a chair, she lifted it over her head with all intentions to smash the TV as the video showed her taking off her shirt for 'documentation of her body'. Just as she unhooked her bra, the power went out, and Brooke sighed in relief, bringing down the chair. Just as it hit the ground, the power came back on and the whole school saw her naked breasts.

Lucas shielded his eyes as everyone began to hoot and holler at the sight. _Only Brooke Davis would think to strip down during a time capsule video!_ He didn't know whether to be embarrassed or laugh at the whole thing.

Nathan couldn't wait any longer to give Haley an explanation, so he pulled her out of the school and towards the car. Once in her seat, Nathan could see she still had a face of shock and hurt. "Hales, I can explain. I was in a dark place then, and I—Look, I know it wasn't right for me to say those things, but I was really angry and I wasn't thinking straight, okay?"

Haley didn't say anything. She didn't even turn to look at him. "Can we please just go home?" She asked in a meek voice. Nathan sighed and turned the key in the ignition, beginning the silent ride home.

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Deb was genuinely surprised to see Nathan and Haley walk back through the door not a hour after they left. "Hey, what's going on?"

Haley continued her way up the stairs to the bedroom, while Nathan took a pit stop in the kitchen to talk to his mom. "School got cancelled for the rest of the day."

"What happened?" Deb inquired.

"Someone released the time capsule video we made last year. Let's just say there were some things said on there that shouldn't have been played for the whole school."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Brooke flashed everyone, one of Lucas and Haley's old friends talked about how much he hated everyone in the school and that the day he leaves will be the best day ever, and then, you know, me telling Haley that I hate her and that our marriage was the worst mistake of my life."

Deb just stared at her son in shock. Not at what he had said, but at the fact that someone, knowing how private the information held in that video was, would go out of their way to humiliate everyone in the school.

"I'm so sorry Nathan. Who would do that?"

"I don't know. Brooke and Mouth had to stay after as Student Council President and Media Club President to see if they can figure anything out. Brooke said she would keep us updated. In the meantime, I have to go buy flowers." Nathan grabbed his keys and wallet off of the counter and went to his car, hoping to come up with a brilliant plan to get Haley's forgiveness.

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Nathan had just bought a dozen white roses and small purple daisies from the florist, and was headed to Karen's Café to pick up some macaroni and cheese before he made his way home. He was happy to see that Lucas was inside at the counter.

"Hey man. How you feeling after Hooter girl's performance on screen?"

Lucas laughed. "Very funny, I am actually doing fine, just worried about the implications of this video being released. Peyton told Brooke that whoever leaked it also had the curtesy to put it on the internet."

"Shit." Nathan rubbed his face with his free hand.

"I'm assuming that the flowers in your hands are for Haley?"

"Yeah, I don't know what to say to her. She was really crushed. What did you say to Brooke?"

"I told her she looked beautiful," Lucas said.

Nathan laughed. "I'll have to keep that in mind. In the meantime, I need an order of mac and cheese to go."

"Damn, bringing out the big guns. You must have really screwed up."

"Shut up," Nathan scoffed, hitting Lucas with his free hand.

There was a silence between the brothers as they waited for the food.

"So who do you think did it?" Nathan asked.

"I'm not sure. I would say that the person who released it wasn't featured, but the only person I can think of not on that tape is Haley, and we both know she wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, but I think you're onto something. And I can think of someone else who wasn't on that video, and therefore has nothing to lose."

"Who?" Lucas questioned.

"Rachel."


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! It's been a stressful two weeks, and I'm heading into finals, but then I have a month off! I'm gonna try and do more! Not just with this story but with Fame Games too! Don't give up on me yet lol.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but you already knew that.**

 **WARNING: I cried writing this.**

Haley laid on her stomach, watching Nathan's clip over and over again. Had he really meant that they were a mistake? Did he really regret everything?

There was a knock on the door and she looked up.

"I come in peace." There stood Nathan holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a small to go bag from Karen's Café in the other. He had a small smile on his face, but Haley could see that it didn't reach his eyes. Those were filled with worry… and guilt.

"Hey," she responded, "where have you been?"

"I was talking to Lucas," Nathan replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh yeah, how's he handling 'Hooter Girl'?"

Nathan laughed. He really had rubbed off on her.

"He's doing fine. He told her she looked beautiful, which is exactly what I wanted to tell you."

Haley sighed, but couldn't help the smile peeking on her lips. "Nathan…"

"Look, I know I screwed up, again, I just don't want old wounds opening up, not when we've been doing so well."

"Actually, that's what I was thinking about. Are we really doing that well?" Haley asked.

Nathan was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we've spent more time bonding over people trying to hurt us, more than anything else, and you know, you're still living with your parents, and I'm—"

"Living with my parents," Nathan cut her off, giving her a cheeky smile.

Haley gapped, not sure how to respond. "Well, yeah, but that's only because of your dad's campaign and the intruder."

"Hales, are you telling me that you think I would have been able to keep staying here without you after having you in my arms the night of the dance?"

Haley melted looking into his baby blue eyes.

Nathan walked over to her, placing the flowers and food on the table next to his bed. He laid next to her, brushing away some hair from her neck and placing a kiss behind her ear.

"I love you, Haley. And you're right. We have a lot to talk about. There's college and our living situation, but none of that changes how I feel about you."

Haley leaned into him and sighed. "Do you regret it?"

"What?"

"Do you regret marrying me?"

Nathan's heart broke hearing her say that. He could hear the pain in her voice. "Hales…"

"No, Nathan. I need you to be honest. I need to know if you and I are at the same place in our relationship. I love you so much, my heart hurts, and I want nothing more than to be your wife. But if you have any doubts about being my husband, I need to know."

Nathan rolled over onto his back. "It's not that I don't want to be your husband. I do with all of my being, it's just… I'm scared."

"Scared of what?"

Nathan turned his head and looked Haley in the eyes. "I'm scared to be vulnerable with you. I'm scared to lose you again and get hurt. I never want to be the guy on the tape again, Haley. I don't think I could survive it." His eyes shimmered with tears, encasing the fear he was feeling for Haley to see.

Haley scooted over so she was on top of Nathan. She rubbed her thumbs over his cheek and caught a stray tear. Leaning down, she kissed him fiercely. It got more and more heated, clothes being shed.

After hours of kissing, holding, and making love, Haley rested her head on Nathan's bare chest and planted a kiss right above his heart.

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere."

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Nathan woke up early the next morning. Whitey had left him a message about him and Lucas coming in early to talk about some plays before class.

Haley stirred from her slumber upon realizing that her husband was no longer in bed with her. "Nathan?" she called out, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Nathan popped a quick kiss on her forehead. "Hey, go back to sleep."

"What are you doing up so early?"

"I gotta meet with Whitey and Lucas for a Captain's meeting pretty early, but I already talked to Brooke and she's gonna bring you to school, okay?"

"Okay," Haley responded. "Kiss?"

Nathan bent down and left a lingering kiss on her lips.

"Love you," Haley mumbled, quickly losing the fight to stay awake.

"I love you too, and I'll see you later."

With that, Nathan walked out the door.

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Nathan, Lucas, and Whitey had talked for about an hour, and classes were about to start. Nathan and Lucas were walking to their first period class.

"So are you excited about your mom and Uncle Keith?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, they deserve it, you know? And besides, Keith told me he wants to adopt me. I told him yes," Lucas shared.

Nathan smiled at his older brother. "Congrats man! I'm really happy for you! At least one of us will have a good father."

Lucas was about to respond when he saw Jimmy Edwards through the glass door holding up a gun. He pulled Nathan down by the arm just as the shot when off and the bullet ricocheted through the glass door.

Everyone was screaming, running in all different directions. Two people running helped Lucas to his feet and they all ran out of the building.

Haley and Brooke had just parked the car and were walking in when they saw everyone pouring out of the school frantically. Lucas finally appeared, and the girls approached him in hope for some answers. Though Lucas' attention seemed to be somewhere other than his best friend and his girlfriend. "Nathan? Nathan!"

"Lucas, what the hell is going on?" Brooke cried.

He finally focused himself on the former roommates. "Someone has a gun in the school and they're shooting. I was with Nathan, and the shot went off, and I thought he was behind me, but—"

"Nathan was shot?!" Haley cried hysterically.

"No! I mean I don't know, it all happened so fast, I just…"

But Haley was no longer paying attention. "Nathan! Nathan!" she screamed. Noticing fewer and fewer people coming out of the school, she decided that he must still be in there.

In a mad dash, Haley ran towards the school.

Lucas and Brooke watched the madness happen in shock, before Lucas finally pushed Brooke towards Whitey who loaded her onto a safe bus, while he took off after Haley.

Being an athlete, Lucas was able to get to her quickly, and he pulled her down to the ground.

"Get off me Luke! Nathan is in there and he might die!"

"You don't know that!"

"Well, I'm not taking any chances." And with that, Haley James Scott dashed into the high school.

Lucas looked back at Brooke who was calling his name. He knew she was safe. That's what mattered. Haley and Nathan, on the other hand, weren't safe. So with one final glance at his girlfriend, Lucas took off after his best friend into the high school.

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Lucas finally caught up with her in Whitey's office, where she grabbed a metal bat.

"What are you going to do Hales, stop a bullet with a metal bat?"

"I don't know. I don't know. All I know is Nathan might be hurt and I have to get to him."

"Most heroes are dead, Hales."

"It's Nathan, Luke. I don't care about the risks; I just need to find him."

"Haley! Haley!" Lucas grabbed her by the shoulders. "Do you not realize what you are doing? You don't even know if Nathan is in here, if he's actually hurt. And you know that if Nathan is fine and you ran into a school with an active shooter, he will be pissed. And he will kill me if I let you do this."

"HE COULD BE DYING ON THE FLOOR AS WE SPEAK! He's your brother, don't you care?" Haley screamed in outrage.

Lucas immediately smacked his hand over her mouth, preventing her from yelling anymore. "You need to calm down before you get us all killed!" he whispered.

"I'm getting him out of here. You can stay here for all I care."

And with that, Haley snuck out into the hall.

Haley was rounding the sight of where the first shot was fired when she lost all feeling in her body. There was a pool of blood behind the shattered door, exactly where Lucas described where he and Nathan were.

"Oh God… oh God!"

Just before she collapsed to the ground, Lucas grabbed her from behind by the waist. "I got you, come on."

"Luke, there's blood! His blood," she cried, grabbing his wrists to hold herself up.

Lucas saw what she was looking at, and tightened his grip, doing everything in his power not to break down with her. "Okay, okay, let's go."

Lucas grabbed Haley's hand and dragged her through the broken doors towards the library.

Upon making it down the stairs, they were deciding where to go when they heard something from behind one of the half-stacked shelves towards the back.

Haley looked at Lucas scared. "What if the shooter is in here?" she whispered.

"Hales, I told you, the shooter was Jimmy Edwards. He wouldn't actually want to hurt anyone."

"You sure? Because after the time capsule was released, he didn't seem like the Jimmy we knew from the river court. He didn't seem like our friend."

"Hales, he's a good kid. That doesn't change."

"Are you sure?" Haley speculated.

The noise from the shelf came again. Lucas pushed Haley behind him as they both went to investigate the noise.

Lucas swung back the bat in preparation of what they were about to find.

"Ah!"

"Oh my god!" Haley cried. Leaning against the shelf was Nathan, with his entire torso covered in blood.

Nathan threw his head back in relief, squeezing his eyes shut. His face was stained with tear tracks, and it was clear he was in pain.

Haley quickly dove to his sides, her hands hovering over his chest. "What happened?!"

Nathan pulled up his shirt to reveal blood coming from his side.

Haley held up his shirt to look at the wound. Her mouth was gaped open as she looked at it. When she finally looked up, tears sparkled in her eyes.

Nathan opened his eyes to look into her deep brown ones. He swiftly used his right arm to wrap around her waist and pulled her over his lap to his good side, trying to hide her from his wound. She sobbed into the crook of his neck, clutching onto him for dear life.

Lucas looked around the library. "How the hell did you get down here?" He was beginning to freak out. Nathan was seriously injured, and there was no way he and Haley could get him out of there in a discrete fashion.

"I was pretty much left for dead after the shot went off, but I managed to make it down here. Can't really walk though."

"Nate, man, I'm so sorry. I thought you were right behind me."

"Don't worry about it, I was just glad you were out. Although now your dumbass is back in here so I guess that was a waste."

The brothers chuckled.

"How can you guys be laughing right now?" Haley asked, standing up. "We need to get you help, now!"

Nathan grabbed her hand. "Where are you going to get help, Hales? From the hallway where there is an active shooter? I don't think so."

"I hate to say it, but Nathan is right. It's looking like we are just going to have to wait it out a bit and hope that Jimmy turns himself in," Lucas added. "We will apply pressure and do all we can from here. I'm sure the paramedics will be in here as soon as possible. Just calm down and relax."

The brothers realized their mistake when angry tears began to storm down Haley's face. "AND DO WHAT? HE'S DYING!"

The library felt eerily still after her outburst. They could only watch as she sank back to the ground in sobs as she clung to Nathan once again, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're dying and there's nothing I can do. I just got you back and now I'm going to lose you-u!"

Nathan looked at Lucas dumbfounded.

"What are you looking at me for? You're the dying husband."

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Sorry Luke, they didn't give us tips at the alter about what to say to each other in our final moments." He's joking words prodded another sob from Haley.

"How deep is the wound?"

"Through and through. The bullet came out the back, the problem is just the blood."

"Well, it's right above your hip, so it doesn't look like it hit anything important…"

"Gee, thanks Luke," Nathan remarked sarcastically.

"You know what I meant. I'm gonna go barricade the library doors."

For a couple of moments, Nathan and Haley basked in the silence. Nathan could feel himself getting tired, but didn't want Haley to see.

"What you thinking about, babe?"

"Our wedding night."

Nathan smirked. "Oh yeah?"

Haley took a deep, shaky breath in before speaking. "We were lying in bed, and you were holding me. You told me that you could see us having kids someday. A boy with your eyes…"

"A little girl, just like you." Nathan finished the memory.

"And all I can think about is if we don't get out of here soon, we won't get to have any of that. That I'll be going home completely alone, and if that happens, I don't think I will wake up in the morning."

Nathan felt tears sting his eyes. "Haley, you need to promise me that no matter what happens here, that you are going to live a wonderfully happy life, okay? Because that's what you've given me."

Lucas was walking back, standing behind the shelves, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

"Nathan, I can't lose you. You're all I have," Haley whispered, feeling her heartbreak even more.

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Dan Scott was hounding Principal Turner. "How does a kid just waltz into school with a gun? Where's the metal detectors, the security?"  
"We can't search bags without reasonable suspicion because God forbid we violate the students' rights. Metal detectors make the building look dangerous, which you and the school board voted against, and the security guards carry night sticks," Turner answered.

"Well, what's the plan of action?" Dan prodded.

A federal agent stuck his head outside of the negotiation van. "We have a possible suspect. Jimmy Edwards, in the tutoring center."

"Perfect! You know where the kid is, send men in and take him out!"

"Dan," Turner reprimanded, "these scenarios need to be handled with as much caution as possible."

Dan became enraged. "So you're just going to sit and wait?"

Before Turner had a chance to respond, Keith, Deb and Karen ran up on the scene. "Dan!" Keith yelled.

"Not now, Keith. I'm dealing with important business." Dan brushed him off.

"Yeah, I know. I just thought maybe you would like to know that Lucas just texted me from the library."

Dan turned around. "He's in there?"

Keith nodded. "Yeah, he and Haley are safe, barricaded in the library."

Dan began to turn away again. "Well, that's good to know. We'll try and get them out of there. Deb, have you heard from Nathan?"

Deb shook her head as Keith began to speak again. "There's more."  
The other three adults looked at him, urging him to go on.

"Nathan's in there with them. He was shot in the hallway and Lucas said they need medical attention for him as soon as possible. It's bad, Danny. It's really bad."

All the parents and kids standing a hundred feet away behind the yellow CAUTION tape watched as Deb Scott fell back on the van and Dan began screaming his head off.

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Everyone in the room could feel the hope lessen. It had been about twenty minutes, and Nathan continued to bleed out. Haley was holding her sweater over his wound, but it was beginning to get heavy with his blood.

Lucas was fiddling with his phone, trying to get reception, but all the lines were filled. He had managed earlier to shoot a text to Keith, letting him know that they were safe but that Nathan had been shot and was in dire need of medical attention.

Haley had a stream of tears constantly flowing from her eyes, but she remained quiet, just like her boys. Her head was resting carefully on Nathan's shoulder, wanting to be as close to him as possible.

Nathan was beginning to pale out, his eyes struggling to remain open.

"Nate, you've got to stay awake, buddy." Lucas shook his unoccupied shoulder.

"I'm cold," Nathan rasped out.

Haley hugged him tighter, fear running through her veins. "Tell me a story, Nathan."

"Huh?" he mumbled, rolling his head over to look at her.

"Tell me a story. Anything."  
Lucas looked on with worry. Who knows what Nathan would say, and though he was bleeding out on the library floor, Lucas was worried Nathan might say something that could break Haley, especially if he didn't make it out of there.

"Okay," Nathan breathed. "Remember our wedding night? When we were just lying there and I was holding you in my arms?" Haley nodded. "We were talking about children, about the little boy and girl we were going to have. A little boy with my eyes and a little girl who looks just like you.

"We were going to go to college, wherever we could be together. You were going to graduate with a degree in music and education, and I would play basketball. I was going to get drafted to a team in California or New York, and you would get a job as a teacher by day, musician by night. We were gonna live in a big penthouse, where there was a big kitchen where you would love to cook, and you would always ask me to help you cook and I would because even though I'm a disaster in the kitchen, I would do it because I love seeing you smile. We would have our first kid, a boy. He would be spoiled rotten, always playing basketball with his daddy and Uncle Lucas. You would bring him to all my games, and he would love it. Then we would have our baby girl, who is a carbon copy of you. After five years in the NBA, I would retire, and our family would move back to Tree Hill, where we would reunite with all of our friends. We'd get a big house with lots of rooms, and fill them all with other mini Nathan and Haley's, including a set of twins."

"I would give birth to all of these kids?" Haley giggled, trying to mask her desire to start sobbing.

"Of course you would, and I'd be by your side every time, holding your hand," Nathan smiled, then turned his hand to look at Lucas. "And Luke would be sitting out in the lobby every time, waiting to meet his newest niece or nephew. We might have even named a kid after him."

Lucas couldn't stop the tears from flowing out of his eyes as he looked at his brother. "Let me guess, I'm still single?"

Nathan laughed weakly. "Nah, you would be married, though it would take you awhile?"

"Let me guess, Brooke says no until I propose perfectly."

Nathan shook his head. "You'd be married to Peyton."

Lucas and Haley looked at each other, slightly confused. 'Just go with it,' Haley mouthed to Lucas.

"Babe, why are you talking about things like they are what could have happen?" Haley asked.

"Because that's not what's gonna happen," Nathan huffed.

"It's not?" Lucas wondered.

"No, it's not. What is going to happen is you guys are going to get up and get out of here. You're going to talk to the cops, who will get everyone else out safely. You're going to cry, and you'll grieve, host a funeral for me, wear all black. But eventually I'll fade into just a memory and you're going to be happy," Nathan choked out looking at Haley, who was silently sobbing. "You are going to go to Stanford, where you will meet an incredibly smart musician. You'll fall in love again, though your stubborn self will try not to. You guys will get married in a chapel on the west coast, with all your family in attendance, as well as mine, who have given you the blessing to move on, even though you don't need it. You guys will have a few children who are just as beautiful as their mother. Every year on this day you go to the cemetery here in Tree Hill, and one day you'll bring your kids to meet me. You'll tell them about us and how much I loved you, and how I hope you all have amazing lives." Nathan was crying now, Haley curled up in the crook of his neck, her fists gripping his shirt tightly while sobs ripped through her body.

Lucas sat against the shelves, tears free flowing.

"I liked the first scenario better," Haley mumbled.

"I do too, princess," Nathan whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead. They sat like that for a couple of minutes, until Haley realized Nathan was no longer moving.

"Nathan? Nathan!" She shook him, but his eyes wouldn't open.

Lucas looked at his brother and immediately ran to remove the barricade from the doors. Nathan needed immediate attention, and Lucas was willing to risk both his and Haley's lives to get him that help.

Haley was hysterically crying when Lucas returned. Lucas pushed her off Nathan so he could pull up his brother. Haley got up and stood on the other side, wrapping her arms around his torso like Lucas, with Nathan's arms over their shoulders.

They got him past the library doors, but the hard wooden frames slammed behind the trio.

Lucas led the way back towards where they came in, but they were stopped by a figure in a red hoodie.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Jimmy yelled. "The school is on lockdown!"

"He-he's hurt, Jimmy. He's gonna die!" Haley cried, tightening her grip on Nathan's torso.

Jimmy stood there pointing the gun at the three Scotts. He looked weary. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

"We know that, Jimmy." Keith appeared behind Lucas.

"What is this? THE SCHOOL. IS ON. LOCKDOWN!" Jimmy screamed.

Keith nodded to Lucas to get Nathan out from the hallway he was standing at. He and Haley shuffled out.

"Lucas, Haley, I love you guys, now go."

With that, they left the building.

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It was two minutes later that Lucas and Haley got Nathan out of the school. There were SWAT members all around them as paramedics loaded Nathan on a stretcher and into an ambulance.

Lucas was cooperating with the officers, but Haley began to fight their restraints.

"That's my husband, you have to let me go! Let go of me!" she screamed hysterically, gaining the attention of everyone while the officers pulled her back.

Deb ran up. "Hey, that's my daughter-in-law!" She pulled at Haley's arm, and the officers eventually let go, deciding that she wasn't a danger to the public.

Haley threw herself in Deb's arms, crying for Nathan. Dan ran up on the scene, checking up on Lucas, and even Haley.

"Is anyone coming with this young man in the ambulance?" the paramedic yelled.

Haley sprinted to the ambulance. "I am!"

"Sorry, ma'am, immediate family only."

Haley climbed in the ambulance despite his protests. "It's okay, I'm his wife."

Looking at the band on her finger, the paramedic closed the doors and signaled to the driver to take off.

Sitting down on the bench next to the gurney, Haley grabbed Nathan's hand and silently cried the whole way to the hospital.


	16. Chapter 16

**Happy New Year! Short chapter but there will be more to come.**

It was a dull Tuesday afternoon, one week after the school shooting at Tree Hill High. There was a small crowd of people in the cemetery that day, laying a friend to rest.

Haley Scott held Lucas' hand the whole ceremony. Every now and then, she would squeeze his hand tightly, trying to keep a grip on reality.

The minister's words were faded as Haley's mind traveled elsewhere. To the place where Nathan talked about in the library. Their happy life together.

Lucas saw Haley's eyes glaze over, and silently thanked God that the ceremony was over. Leading his best friend over to the casket, he took a hand full of soil and dropped it into the hallowed ground, and then waited for Haley to do the same.

The car ride back to the Scott household was silent. A year ago, Lucas couldn't imagine being where he was today. And what a long day it was. The school finally resumed classes, though it was hard to be on time with all the security guards and metal detectors. It was hard to walk through the halls, knowing what happened last time he was in the school.

Haley had not attended class, not that anyone expected her to.

Lucas parked the car in front of the Scott mansion. "Hales…"

Haley looked away from the window and toward her best friend. "Thanks Luke. I just want to be alone for now."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." And with that, she slowly stepped out of the car and walked up the steps to the front door, where she let herself in.

Dan and Deb were seated in the kitchen.

"Hi sweetheart," Deb said, embracing the small girl in a hug. "How was it?"

"As horrible as can be expected. It's just hard to believe he's gone. He died before he even had the chance to live."

Dan cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Haley. Lucas told us how you guys used to be close."

Haley sniffled and sighed. "Jimmy was in a lot of pain before he died, they said. I could even see it a bit. I just wish I could have helped; I wish I could have convinced him that it would get better."

The room was silent, like it had been for the past couple of days.

"Well," Deb broke the silence, "we were thinking of going to the hospital later, would you care to join, Haley?"

A sorrow smile graced the young blonde's face. "I would like that, thanks. I'm gonna take a nap beforehand."

Trudging up the stairs, Haley made her way into the guest room-turned-bedroom where she and Nathan slept. She stood in the door way and sighed. This was the last place she saw Nathan before the shooting. He had told her to go back to sleep, and she did. Haley wished she could go back; wished she would have gotten up and gone to school with him that morning. She would have been there when the shot went off, and maybe she could have taken the bullet for him.

But she couldn't go back. She couldn't make things right, and despite the fact that it wasn't her fault, her heart was breaking every minute because of how everything turned out that fateful day.

Sliding off her black dress and kicking off the black flats that squeezed her feet, Haley slipped on one of Nathan's basketball t-shirts and climbed into bed, holding her husband's pillow close to her chest while she cried herself to sleep.

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Dan Scott felt remorse.

It was something he rarely felt.

Sometimes he felt it when he saw Lucas or Karen, remembering all the pain he had caused them.

When Nathan crashed the race car, he felt it for not protecting his son's heart that was bound to get broken.

When he saw Jimmy Edward's death notice on the front of the newspaper. The only fatal casualty to come for the shooting was the shooter himself, but it didn't ease Dan's guilt.

And now, every time he saw his son in the hospital, hooked up to tubes and wires that were keeping him from dying.

Nathan had yet to wake up, which the doctors said was normal. After his severe loss of blood, it could take his body up to a week before it had healed enough for him to wake up.

He was lucky. It was a clear flesh wound, and he didn't fall into a coma after surgery. The doctors had said that it was nothing short of a miracle, and they saw his recovery period to be short and easy.

Even with all this information, with an absolute guarantee of his son's survival, Dan Scott still felt guilty.

He was the one that gave Rachel Gatina the idea of showing the whole school the time capsule. Though he didn't actually do the deed and had no way of foreseeing the consequences that would come from it, his desire to separate his son and his daughter-in-law put lives in danger. Specifically, Nathan's.

A ding interrupted Dan's thoughts and a light flashed on his computer.

Clicking on the email, he was shocked and horrified at who it was from and what they had to say.

 _Mr. Scott,_

 _I don't think this plan was successful. I want Nathan to be mine, not dead._

 _Do you have anything else up your sleeve? I have connections with someone who is willing to get Haley out of town for good. What do you say?  
_

 _~Rachel Gatina_

Dan stared at the screen blankly. After about a minute, he broke out of his trance and began typing furiously.

 _Never contact me again. Your obsession with my son nearly had him killed. I regret any part I took in that._

 _Go to hell._

Clicking send and shutting off the computer, Dan leaned back in his chair and sighed. He then got up, straightened his clothes, and left his office to go bring his soon-to-be ex-wife and his daughter-in-law to the hospital. To see the son he put in there.

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Haley walked into the room slowly. Deb and Dan were working on insurance information and talking to the doctors. As far as she could tell, there was no change. He was recovering and was progressing well, but had yet to wake up from the deep sleep he fell into during their final minutes in the library.

Every time she came in the room, her heart ached, and not in a good way. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for his safety and healing, but she needed to see his eyes, hear his voice, feel his arms constrict around her.

He didn't look dead. There was color to his face and she could see the rise and fall of his chest, which gave her an immense amount of comfort and relief.

She didn't rest much earlier, feeling restless knowing she would be coming to visit him soon. So like she did on previous visits, she pulled back the sheets on the right side of the bed and, making sure to watch out for all the tubes and wires, cuddled up to her lifeless husband.

She rested her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent, just like she would do with the pillow at home.

He wasn't responsive, but he was there, and that was all she needed. And she fell into a much more peaceful sleep than the day before.

Her sleep was so deep that, a few hours later, she didn't feel the movement of her human pillow, and she surely didn't see his bright blue eyes flicker back to life.


	17. Chapter 17

**Woohoo! Chapter 17! This chapter was a doozy to write, but I think there are only about 3 more left! I don't know if that's something to be happy or sad about. Also, new username.**

Haley was coming back to consciousness after a few hours of dreamless sleep. When at the hospital was the only time she could get away from the nightmares. Her hand reached out to clench Nathan's hospital gown, but she only came up with empty air and the bed sheets.

She sat up with a startle, frantically looking around the room.

Dan and Deb were seated by the bed and were startled by the young girl's sudden movements.

"Haley, honey, are you okay?" Deb asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Where is he?" Haley asked fearfully.

Dan and Deb looked at each other.

 _Flashback_

 _Deb walked through the hospital room door after talking with the doctor. He had high hopes that Nathan would wake soon, as there was nothing stopping him from it._

 _She stopped suddenly, causing Dan to walk right into her back._

" _Damnit Deb! Why did you stop…"_

 _Both parents stared in the room at the sight before them. Haley was curled on the bed, per usual. But Nathan was looking at her and playing with a small section with her hair. He was awake!_

 _Nathan looked over at his parents when he heard them. "Hey Mom. Hey Dad."  
Deb's hand flew to her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. Dan's face had an infectious smile plastered on it. Walking over to the bed, he gently put his hand on Nathan's shoulder. "It's good to see you awake, Son."_

 _Deb too walked over and squeezed her son's hand. "I'll go call the doctor."_

 _A few minutes later, while Dan caught Nathan up on the outside world, Deb returned with Dr. Sherman._

" _Nathan, it's good to see you're finally awake. I'm just going to check on your vital signs."_

 _After going through those procedures, the doctor cleared his throat. "Alright, everything looks good. I'm going to call for the nurse to bring in a wheelchair so we can do some more tests now that you are awake and moving."_

 _Nathan nodded in compliance, and began to slowly remove himself from underneath Haley._

 _She stirred slightly, but remained asleep as Nathan rested her head onto his pillow, before sliding into the wheelchair and giving a short wave goodbye to his parents._

 _End Flashback_

"He's right here," the nurse said as she wheeled a smiling Nathan back into the room.

"Hi Hales," he rasped.

Haley clutched the side of the bed with one hand as the other one flew up to her mouth as she began to cry tears of relief and joy.

Nathan was wheeled up to the bed before he climbed back in with the help of the nurse. Haley immediately fell into his arms.

Haley cried for the time she spent without him, and for everything that happened when he was unconscious.

"Baby, it's okay, I'm okay, see?" Nathan smiled, running his hand up and down her side in an attempt to calm her down.

She merely nodded, as no words would come out when she tried to speak. When she could, she choked out "I love you so much" before crying into his chest again.

Dan and Deb felt their hearts constrict at the scene, and decided to leave the couple in privacy.

Outside the room, Nathan's doctor was standing with a clipboard.

Dan approached the man. "Doc, how did the tests go with Nathan? Is he going to be alright?"

The doctor smiled at the infamous Scott. "He has recovered miraculously. All the tests went well, and his stitches should heal within two to three weeks."

Dan tried to restrain himself, but he couldn't. "And basketball?"

"As soon as those stitches heal, he can be back on the court. But not any sooner."

Dan sighed in dismay. "Alright, thanks."

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It had been an hour since Haley and Nathan were back in each other's arms, and neither one could take their hands off one another. They were laying in the bed under the covers, legs intertwined.

"What did I miss out on while I was out?" Nathan asked, popping a kiss on Haley's forehead.

"Not much. School was cancelled for the rest of the week. I, um, I went to Jimmy's funeral," Haley whispered, looking up at the man she loved.

Nathan's face fell into a frown. He didn't know Jimmy well, but he didn't' deserve to die.

"I'm sorry. I know you guys were friends at one point."

Haley just nodded again in compliance. She pushed herself off the mattress and captured Nathan's lips in a searing kiss.

The door opened and in walked Lucas, Brooke, and Peyton.

"I don't want to know what you're doing, I just want to see Nathan," Lucas said with his hands over his eyes.

Nathan smiled up at his brother, and gave him a one-armed hug. "Good to see your eyes open again, little brother."

"Hey, Haley told me how you got me out of there. I owe you, I really do," Nathan told his brother.

Lucas smiled sheepishly. "Nah, if I wasn't' there Haley would have gotten you out. Not sure how, but she's smart like that."

The group of teenagers laughed.

Nathan furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry for your loss too, Luke. You and Jimmy were best friends. You trusted him in the library not to hurt us."

Lucas' face became sorrow. "Thanks. It's hard, I mean, I've known Jim since we were kids. The funeral was hard, I really felt for his mom."

"I can only imagine how hard it must be to lose your only child so young and for him to have been in so much pain," Peyton added. Brooke nodded in agreement as she rested her head on her best friend's shoulder.

"I feel for Keith. He was there when Jimmy pulled the trigger," Lucas explained. "Hasn't been quite the same since."

"Why?" Nathan asked. He and Keith hadn't been close most of his childhood, but since Lucas joined the team, he was getting to know his uncle more and more.

"He feels like he should have been able to stop Jimmy from doing it, like he should have been able to save him. We all feel that way," Haley whispered.

The faces in the room were solemn.

"Nobody could have saved him," Brooke spoke up. "He had his mind set when he walked into school with that gun, and there's nothing anyone could have done to prevent it."

"Really?" Nathan asked. "What about the time capsule? Whoever leaked it let out a lot of secrets, including Jimmy's."

Brooke huffed. "Yeah, the time capsule being leaked was bad, I should know. My boobs are all over the internet. But that didn't make Jimmy do what he did. It was just a cat list."

"A cat list?" Peyton questioned, perplexed.

"Yeah, like in chemistry," Brooke explained in a 'duh' tone.

Haley began to laugh despite the serious topic at hand. "You mean catalyst."

"Oh. Yeah, that." Brooke blushed a faint red while the rest of the friends laughed.

"Knock, knock." The main nurse entered. "Sorry kids, but time's up. Visiting hours are over. You can come back at 10 am tomorrow." She then walked over to Haley and handed her a pink paper bracelet which she proceeded to secure around her wrist.

"What's that?" Lucas questioned, knowing that Haley wouldn't wear a pink accessory just because.

Haley smiled while cuddling back up to Nathan. "It's an overnight pass. Next of kin and family only, sorry."

"Well technically…" Lucas began.

Nathan laughed. "Get outta here man, I'll see you tomorrow."

The three teens proceeded to leave the room, leaving the happy couple by themselves. Well almost.

The nurses came in and administered the painkillers into Nathan's IV drip, and he slowly began to lose consciousness. Haley ran her fingers through his hair, massaging his head.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too."

And for the first time in a week, they drifted to sleep together.

 **Feel free to leave a review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18- This chapter is rated M as a precaution in case anyone needed to know! Well, this whole story is rated M, but especially this chapter.**

Nathan returned home a week before, and he was already going crazy.

Haley was waiting on him hand and foot, his mom was stocking up on food from Karen's and coddling him, Lucas stopped by at least four times a day.

Dan might have been the worst though.

His dad seemed guilty, like he had a part to play in the whole ordeal, and that made Nathan worried. Very worried.

It was time to go back to school. He was becoming stir crazy in the house, and with two crazy, overprotective women watching over him, Nathan couldn't get away with anything.

"Nathan, I told you, you need to be fully healed before you can go back to school!"

Nathan fought the urge to roll his eyes as he rested his palms on the kitchen island. He loved his wife more than anything, but she was being stubborn and completely close-minded about the topic at hand.

"Hales, I love you, but I'm going crazy here! I sure as hell never thought I would be begging to go back to school, but here I am."

"What if your wound gets infected? Huh? You could get sick and wind up in the hospital all over again!"

"Baby, I'm going to die of boredom!" Nathan exclaimed in exasperation.

Haley's face sobered quickly and a frown fell upon her face. "Don't say that."

Nathan looked at her confused from across the counter. "What?"

"Don't say you're gonna die."  
Nathan sighed. Both his wife, mom, dad, and brother had been very sensitive to Nathan joking around about dying. Obviously he didn't mean it, but he also knows that he wasn't waiting around for a week while someone he loved laid in a coma.

Haley looked to the ground as tears swelled in her eyes. "Come here," Nathan said as he walked around the counter and pulled Haley into his arms.

"I don't mean to get so mean and emotional," Haley sniffled into his chest. "I just really don't think I can go through anything like that again."

Nathan knew Haley was on edge since the incident, and that she wasn't properly dealing with it either. Pulling her over to the couch in the living room, he sat her on his lap.

"Hales, I know you just want me to be safe, but I will be. You'll be in school with me the entire time if anything goes wrong. You can even change my wrappings if you want."

Haley smiled at him, but her face quickly became serious. "No basketball, Nathan. I mean it. No basketball, no gym, no staircases. You can't overexert yourself, not when you were in the hospital so recently.

Nathan clenched his jaw in a tight grin to prevent himself from protesting. As long as he was getting out of the house, he would be happy. He nodded in compliance to his wife, who seemed extremely pleased with the compromise.

After a few minutes of just sitting together in silence, Nathan spoke up.

"Hales?"

"Yeah?" she answered, pulling back from his chest to look in his eyes.

"Look, after everything that's been going on in the past couple of weeks, I just want you to know that if something ever happens to me, if you ever lose me—"

"Stop! Don't talk like that, please!" She cried out, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her ears in an attempt to will his words away.

"Hey, hey," Nathan soothed, grabbing her hands in his and pulling them up to his lips. "I need to say this to you, okay? And you need to hear it."

Haley's tear filled eyes didn't move from his face, but her silence urged Nathan to continue.

"If you ever lose me, I want you to know how happy you've made me, and how amazing my life with you has been. And that I will always be with you."

Haley smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Nothing else is going to happen to you," she stubbornly stated, hoping that he too would believe her.

"You're right, but just in case. I just want you to always know that I love you."

Dan walked through the living room, trying not to interrupt the romantic and intimate scene unfolding before him. He gave a soft nod to the two teenagers before proceeding to walk to fridge and pull out a water.

Nathan gave Haley a look, before moving her off his lap and getting up to talk to his dad.

"Dad, hey wait up. I want to talk to you."

Dan looked around, almost as if he were searching for an excuse to not talk to his son who recently laid in a coma for a week.

"I'm really busy right now, Son, maybe—"

"Dad, stop. You've been saying that for the past four days. Seriously, we need to talk."

Dan sighed reluctantly, before he began walking to his office, motioning for Nathan to follow along.

Entering the office, Dan sat in his large leather chair while Nathan stood across from him. It reminded him of his previous birthday when his secret about choosing to end his basketball career was exposed to his entire family. He knew his dad was hurt by the confession, but Nathan was worse. And things hadn't been the same since.

"What's on your mind? I have a lot that I'm up to today," Dan said, barely sparing a glance to his son as he sorted through paperwork on his desk.

"What is up with you, Dad? Mom used to be the one who barely acknowledged me, not you. You've been so weird since I've come home from the hospital, and I just want to know why."

Dan could hear the pleading tone in his son's voice, which only added onto the guilt he was feeling. "It's nothing, Nathan, just business."

Nathan scoffed in reply. "Sure it is. Why can't you just tell the truth for once in your life?" With that, Nathan left the office to grab Haley and go to school, leaving Dan alone in the empty house to bask in his guilt.

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"He's back!" Tim cried, sprinting away from the lockers where everyone was gathered when he saw Nathan and Haley walking down the hall.

Nathan hadn't been expecting Tim to attack him with a hug right then, and stumbled back with the collision. Laughing, he patted Tim on the back as he tried to pry the shorter guy's arms off of him.

"It's good to see you too, Tim," he chuckled, finding his knucklehead of a best friend amusing. His laughter stopped, however, when he saw the deadly look on his wife's face.

Grabbing the collar of his shirt, Haley whipped Tim around to face her before figuratively blowing her top off. "Are you kidding me, Tim?! He was just in the hospital! THE HOSPITAL! You could have reopened his stitches or caused internal bleeding! Are you that stupid?"

Everyone stood dumbfounded in the hallway while Tim just stared lamely at the small blonde, shame creeping up on his face looking toward his best friend.

Nathan ran his hands over his face before giving Tim an apologetic look and grabbing both of Haley's hands, guiding her away from his friend and towards their lockers. Haley glared back at Tim the whole time.

Nathan let go of her hands as he began to work on her locker combination. Once it was open, he moved to open his and began unloading all the homework he had done in his absence into his locker.

His textbooks for his first two classes rested on the top of his locker, but when he went to reach for them, he felt an arm restricting his.

"What are you doing?"

"Um, I could ask you the same thing mister."

"I'm just trying to get my textbooks for class, Hales. Gotta pass if I want to graduate," Nathan tried to reason with his wife.

"Well, I told you not to strain yourself. Gotta rest if you want to heal," she mocked.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "And how do you propose I get them down?"

Haley stepped in front of him as she stood on the tips of her toes, trying to get the books down. When it was obvious that her height just wouldn't get the job done, she huffed in frustration.

Nathan smirked when she gave up and turned around, but instead of hearing her give in, he winced at her sharp tone. "Lucas!"

Lucas immediately stopped talking to Brooke and shut his locker, turning his attention to his best friend. She looked sleep deprived and he knew well that no one wanted to mess with an angry and tired Haley James.

"Get Nathan's books down, please. We need to get to class."

Lucas quickly grabbed the books and went to hand them to Nathan, but Haley quickly snatched them and began marching down the hall.

Lucas looked at his brother perplexed. "Is everything okay with her?"

Nathan let out a deep sigh. "No, but she's smothering me and I really don't know how much longer I can deal with it. She won't let me do anything for myself."

Brooke joined in on the conversation. "Nate, she's just worried. Lord knows I would act like that if something were to happen to Broody here," she dotted, grabbing onto Lucas's arm.

Nathan noticed the way his brother slightly tensed at the act of affection, but decided to shake it off. "She won't even have sex with me. Not only that, but she won't let me take care of any of that myself. I'm extremely irritated already and now I have a serious case of blue balls."

Brooke stifled a laugh at Nathan's crude confession, whereas Lucas just scrunched his face up in disgust.

Nathan huffed down the hallway after his wife, hoping she still wasn't in a terrible mood.

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It had been three days since Nathan had returned to school, and things had only gotten worse for Nathan and Haley. She was over-the-top with his constant need to do everything for himself, and he was about to lose his patience with her continuous dotting.

The gang was seated at lunch, chatting away about the upcoming basketball game.

"I'm sorry you won't be able to play, Nate. We miss you on the court."

Nathan gave his brother a smirk. "I know. You guys probably suck without me." The table chuckled. "But it's fine, I should be ready to play for the game next weekend, just gotta clear it with the doc."

"Not if I can help it," Haley mumbled, not intending for Nathan to hear it.

Nathan gave her a pointed look. "Want to say that louder for everyone to here?"

Haley just glared back, slightly embarrassed that he heard her.

The stare down between the couple went down for a minute before Haley began to fidget with Nathan's shirt. "We should probably change the wrapping; I haven't done it since this morning."

"I can do it myself, thank you very much," Nathan gritted out in irritation.

"Gosh, why won't you just let me help you?!" Haley exclaimed, drawing in attention to their fight.

"Because you do everything! Seriously Haley, you're smothering me so much and can barely stand being around you!"

Haley's eyes immediately reflected the hurt from his statement, but she quickly recovered and began to dig through her backpack, pushing the wound-cleaning supplies into Nathan's chest before grabbing her bag and standing up. "Fine!"

"Where do you think you're going?!"

"Away from you," she yelled, "since my presence is such an inconvenience to you!"

Nathan gathered everything into his bag, stood up and chased after her.

Haley stormed through the empty halls with a purpose but a lack of a destination. Suddenly she felt herself being thrown into the dark janitor's closet and heard the door lock. Panic flooded her entire body

"Wha-at?" She barely had time to think before she was lifted onto the table and her shirt was ripped over her head.

"I-you-what-please," she tried to get out, not knowing who her attacker was as he began fiddling with the button of her jeans.

Suddenly the hands left her pants and the other person kicked on one of the lights on floor.

"You really need to shut up," Nathan said, grabbing her face and colliding their lips in a searing kiss.

Haley felt all the confusion and panic be replaced by relief and pleasure. She grabbed his jeans by the waist and pulled him closer to her. They hadn't been intimate since before he was in the hospital, and she could feel herself becoming aroused by the surprise attack.

She pulled his shirt over his head as he went back to undoing her pants. His lips connected with her neck and began biting and sucking, making her moan his name softly.

By the time they were both undressed, neither could hold out much longer. Nathan quickly plunged into her, both sighing with relief at the feeling. He moved her up and down on top of him as she reached one arm behind his neck and the other towards the shelves, trying to grip anything.

Nathan paid special attention to her chest as she bobbed on top of him, trying to leave as many marks on her perky breasts as possible during their quick romp.

Both came together and rode out their highs.

Nathan moved his hands to support Haley's weight as she collapsed against him.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yeah," she mumbled into his shoulder. She pulled back to look at Nathan who simply smirked as he took in her body with his eyes.

"I'm sorry I've been smothering you," she whispered, looking down in shame.

Nathan adjusted one arm under her legs and butt so he could lift her chin to look at him. "I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine, see? We just had wild sex in the janitor's closet and no wounds were reopened."

Haley smiled bashfully before sliding back to the floor and began redressing into her jeans and lower cut top. "I'll try and be more understanding about you doing everything yourself."

"Well, hopefully not everything," Nathan winked.

Haley smacked his shoulder. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

Nathan chuckled. "Babe, we're in the janitor's closet. That's not too far from here."

Once they were both redressed, Nathan pressed a heated kiss on her lips which she gladly returned. "Besides," Nathan whispered huskily while nibbling her ear, "I'm sorry too."

Haley pulled back perplexed. "Why?"

Nathan just winked at her before saying "you'll see" and walking out of the closet.

She was quick on his toes when they approached their friends back at their lockers.

Peyton turned to the couple. "Where did you two g—holy shit!"' She began laughing, drawing in the attention of Tim, Lucas, and Brooke.

"What's going on?" Lucas asked before following Peyton's eye sight to Haley. "Holy crap, seriously Nathan?!"

Tim quickly went to give Nathan a high five as Brooke began searching through her bag for a compact mirror.

"What are you guys talking about?" Haley questioned, confused by everyone's actions.

Peyton turned to Haley. "Let me guess, you and Nathan were just getting it on in the janitor's closet."

"Well, um, maybe, how did you know?" Haley asked the curly blonde, extremely confused and embarrassed.

Brooke whipped out the mirror, handing it to the tutor.

Haley saw her reflection, but was startled by the presence of small red bruises gracing the tops of her breasts. _Oh no he didn't,_ she thought. Haley then pulled the mirror up to expose the purplish monstrosity on her neck, easily the size of a golf ball if not bigger.

"Nathan! You gave me hickeys!"

He smirked back at her. "Thought I'd give you something to worry about that might take the attention away from me."

Nathan felt a slight be of regret as he watched his wife begin to panic as she attempted to cover them up to no avail. He looked to Brooke and Peyton for help.

"Haley, calm down. I have a turtle neck you can go change into," Peyton laughed, throwing the plain garment at her friend and they all laughed as the young wife clutched it to her chest and took off towards the bathroom.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19! The end is coming soon (I think, I'm not really sure).**

 **Short chapter but things are moving along. Nathan is getting to the bottom of things, and it's all coming full circle! Next post should be up by the end of the week, I PROMISE!**

The weeks had passed and Nathan had been cleared by his doctor to play again. Despite Haley's anxiousness, she was glad he could get back on the court and do what he loved.

Nathan too was excited to return to the action, but his thoughts were preoccupied. Dan was hiding something big, but he couldn't figure out what.

His hand slid up and down Haley's back as she peacefully slept next to him. He too should have been sleeping, but between the anticipation of the next day's game and the angst he felt about his dad, sleep just would not come.

Carefully sliding out from under his wife, Nathan tiptoed down the stairs, careful not to wake either of his parents.

Sliding into the den, AKA Dan's sanctuary/ office, Nathan gently closed the door and made his way to the desk. If there is any information that Dan was hiding, it would be there on his computer.

Nathan quickly plugged in the passcode and began looking at all open tabs. Nothing was out of the ordinary, just dealing with the former dealership insurance and other proceedings to becoming mayor.

Clicking the mail tab, Nathan was careful not to open anything that was unread, hoping not to leave a trail of his presence. As Dan was a busy business man, hundreds of emails dated back to just the previous week. It would take forever to look into each one.

Clicking on the computer search bar, Nathan drummed his fingers on the keyboard. What was he looking for? Dan was obviously hiding something, but that's not something that can be typed out.

Nathan began typing out things about 'fire' and 'basketball', anything that Dan had been obsessing over lately. Besides running for mayor, the only beyond normal thing Dan had done was invite Haley to live with them. _Haley!_

Quickly typing in his wife's name, he was presented with a string of emails that he recognized to be from his fiery red head classmate. _Not this crazy bitch again!_

Skimming through the emails, Nathan wasn't surprised to see that Dan was in on trying to solidify the separation in the young marriage. However, a few lines made him raise his eyebrows.

 _If you need someone to scare Haley away, I have the perfect guy on call… it worked perfectly, she will be under my nose at all times… the time capsule… I'm done… Nathan almost died…_

Nathan sat back in shock. Rachel Gatina released the time capsule. His _dad_ was the one who gave Rachel the idea, which got Nathan shot.

The other thing that surprised Nathan was that it seemed that Dan and Rachel planned the attack on the Scott household the previous month. The one in which Haley swears the guy was Chris Keller, the guy who tried to kill her.

Nathan's mind was in overdrive. All the dots were connecting, more questions arising. Was Dan the one who brought Chris back to Tree Hill? How is Rachel connected to Chris? Was Dan really done with all the scheming?

Nathan raced up the stairs, not caring if he woke up everyone in the house. Running into the guest room, he quickly pulled Haley out of bed and dragged her down the hall to the master suite.

Flicking on all the lights, Nathan watched as his parents rose groggily.

"Dad, you have a lot of explaining to do!"

"Nathan, what's going on?" Deb asked, concerned by her son's behavior in the middle of the night, as well as confused by his and Haley's presence in her bedroom.

"Yeah, Nathan babe, can we do this in the morning?" Haley asked half-asleep, making a slight attempt to fix her bunched up silk camisole and short pajamas before rubbing her eyes.

Nathan didn't move his eyes from Dan. "Did you seriously work with Rachel Gatina in an attempt to split Haley and I up? You told her about the time capsule, which got me shot!"

Deb looked at her husband, who looked like a deer in headlights. "Dan is this true?"

Dan merely nodded his head, not taking his eyes off his son.

"Unbelievable!" Nathan exclaimed. "And you're the one who set up the attack on the house too, right? Did you know it was Chris Keller who broke in here? Did you plan it that way?"

Dan began to sit up. "Yes the intruder was a part of a publicity stunt, but I never knew the person who broke in, I can swear to that."

"Why should I believe you?" Nathan growled.

"It's the truth! And after the shooting, I made sure to tell Rachel I no longer wanted to be involved in her schemes."

"Too late Dad, the damage is done. You are dead to me."

With that, Nathan dragged Haley from the room and slammed the door.

He finally took a moment to take in his wife's disheveled appearance. Her hair was sticking up in unnatural ways, her tank was falling off her shoulder and was tugged up high enough that Nathan could see her cute little belly button peeking out under the hem of it. Her eyes were drooped, almost unfazed by what had just occurred.

"Can we go back to bed now?" she asked, leaning into his chest.

"Are you not surprised by anything you just heard?" Nathan wondered in awe and disbelief.

"It's Dan, I'm never surprised. Now please carry me back to bed."

Nathan chuckled at her tired behavior and whisked her into his arms. She was asleep before they even made it back to the bedroom.

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Nathan and a well-rested Haley walked into school the next day, in a dress shirt/ dress pants outfit and cheer uniform, respectively. Nathan was still on edge after everything he had learned the night before. Also bothering him was how his wife was taking everything in stride, not even slightly bothered.

"Hales, aren't you just a little concerned with everything that happened last night?"

Haley sighed as she opened her locker. "Not really. Dan has always been manipulative, and now that you've exposed him, he can't break us apart. And we always knew Rachel was a bitch, so what's new? The only thing that upsets me is that Jimmy died because two cruel people wanted to mess our lives up."

"No, Hales. Jimmy was angry and depressed for a long time. Brooke was right, the tape was just a catalyst to the events that occurred that day."  
"I know," Haley said, "I just wish it didn't happen."

Nathan pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Me too." Grabbing her hand, he led them down the hall. "Let's get to class before we're late."

Haley smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling content, not noticing the green eyes that enviously followed them.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The day was passing by quickly for Haley. She was glad, but felt anxious at the thought of the game later that day.

There was never a bone in her body that didn't believe Nathan would play amazing. It was the other players Haley worried about. What if they got too physical with her husband and put him in worse condition?

Shaking away the negative thoughts, Haley entered the quad for lunch, quickly spotting Brooke and Peyton chatting at the table.

"Well hello friends," she laughed, joining in on the conversation.

"Tutor girl, you are just in time! Lucas was telling me that Nathan had some interesting information, hopefully you can give us the deets on that," Brooke prompted eagerly.

Haley sighed, thinking of the night before. It wasn't till she was fully rested this morning when she realized the severity of what had happened.

Dan Scott had put her and her husband's life in danger twice. Once directly, and once not so directly. It was really serious and who knows what Dan would do now that he was exposed.

Haley redirected her attention to her friends.

"It's a long story, but basically Rachel and Dan were working together to break Nathan and me apart, and they were both behind to break in at the Scott residence and the school shooting."

"That hoe bag! She's been teaming up with your evil-but-handsome-for-an-old-guy father in law? I should have known."

Peyton looked confused. "How were they responsible for the shooting? Did they talk Jimmy into doing it or something?"

Haley shook her head. "No, but Dan is the one who hinted to Rachel that the time capsule could do damage to our marriage, and then she was the one who broke in and released it. It's not like they could have known that Jimmy would take things to the extreme, but still. It was a catalyst in the events, and who knows, maybe if the tape was never released, Jimmy could have gotten help."

The three girls sat in silence, that day had scarred them all. It was crazy to reflect on just how much their lives had changed since that day, how much their perspectives had changed.

Finally, Brooke spoke up.

"Well, enough of the drama. Let's talk about Homecoming! We have a few weeks but still, I want to make sure none of us have the same dress."

Peyton and Haley laughed. Brooke sure did have a one-track mind when it came to school functions.

"And Ms. President," Haley giggled, "what's this year's theme?"

"A night in Paris! I thought of it myself."

Peyton snorted. "Very original, B. Davis. Wasn't that the theme, like two years ago?"

Brooke huffed. "Maybe, but who cares? It's super romantic! Speaking of romance, have you ladies been asked yet?"

Peyton laughed. "I'm going with Mouth, so I told him not to ask me in a formal way. Besides, I'm not into all that mushy "promposal" ideas."

"Well that makes one of us, P. Sawyer, because I for one cannot wait for Lucas to ask me in front of the whole school."

Haley looked at Brooke confused. "Lucas told me he was asking you yesterday."

"Yeah, he did, but I want it to be more public and romantic so I told him to do it again."

Once again, Haley and Peyton laughed at their friend's antics.

The bell rang signifying the end of their free period, and the three girls went on their separate ways through the halls.

Haley walked towards her locker, hoping to see Nathan before their next class. In her distracted thoughts, she failed to see the red head standing in the doorway of the girl's bathroom, talking on the phone.

"So you can make it down to Tree Hill in two weeks for the Homecoming dance? Perfect, I promise it will be a night neither of us will forget. No, thank you my dear cousin."

With that, Rachel shut her phone with a smirk on her face as she watched the honey blonde tutor walk naively down that hall.

OTWHOTWHOTWH

The final bell rang, signifying the end of the day. All the students poured out of the front doors of the school, minus the cheerleaders and basketball players who were getting ready for the big game.

Head cheerleader Brooke Davis slid into Principal Turner's office, dropping a note on his desk for him to see the following Monday morning. Knowing that it was her responsibility as Student Council President to keep the school safe if she knew any information, Brooke felt confident in the information she was revealing to her Principal about the leaked time capsule.

Once completing her task, she slipped back out and headed for the locker room to get ready for tonight.

Tonight was a big deal. It was the opening game for the Raven's star player and captain Nathan Scott, who would be stepping on the court for the first time since the previous season and since his gunshot wound.

Speaking of which, number 23 was currently in the tutor center, making out with his wife.

Haley sat on one of the cabinets with Nathan between her legs, one of her hands on the back of his neck pulling him closer while the other was tangled up in his tie.

"You know, a good luck quickie might help me play better tonight," Nathan whispered confidently as he left open-mouth kisses on her neck.

"Nathan," Haley tried to say in a warning tone, but it came out sounding more like a moan.

Just as Nathan began to push her cheerleading shell above her breasts, the door swung open.

"Ahhh!"

Nathan quickly pulled down the shell top before facing his brother in frustration.

"Seriously, Luke? You're a total cock block!"

Haley blushed feverishly as her best friend/ brother-in-law kept his hands over his eyes.

"Okay, seriously Luke, it was just a bra. Not that I'm not happy that you don't want to see my wife naked, but it's not even like you saw her tits," Nathan remarked.

Haley smacked her husband's shoulder while Lucas shot daggers towards his brother. "Whitey wants to see us before the game. And Brooke is looking for you Haley."

With that, Lucas stalked out of the room, murmuring about going at it like rabbits and being scarred for life.

Haley hopped down from the counter and kissed Nathan's cheek before leading them out of the classroom.

The two brothers walked down the hall towards the boy's locker room together.

"Nate, I just want to say that it's good to see you so happy again."

Nathan grinned. "Thanks, man. Even though it was some pretty rough stuff that happened, I'm just glad Haley and I are back together. And by the looks of it, you and Brooke are doing pretty good too."

Lucas frowned as he scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know man. She's been pulling away a lot lately, and I don't really know how to confront her on it. I feel like our relationship is for show these days. She doesn't seem happy."

"Has she said why?"

"Not really, I mean, after the shooting, she did mention something about how I need to open up more and stop holding things back from her."

Nathan looked at his older brother. "What do you mean? Do you have anything you might be holding back?"

Lucas looked down sheepishly. "Honestly, yeah. After that talk we had in the library, the one about how you saw all our futures, I've really been wondering if I went back to Brooke when I should be with Peyton."

Nathan's eyes widened. "You like Peyton again?!" He couldn't believe his brother. Last time the whole love triangle drama went down, he and Haley were dragged into it. Nathan definitely wasn't looking for any more drama.

"No, not more than just a friend." Lucas shook his head feverishly.

"Then why would you be thinking that?"

"Well, you said that you saw Peyton and I together, and it really got me to thinking, did I choose the wrong person if my brother sees my future with someone else?"

Nathan laughed. "You seriously took that all to heart?" When Lucas nodded his head yes, Nathan let out another chuckle. "I was bleeding out, man. Some things can be chalked up to blood loss. Besides, you're 17. You and Brooke are at a good place and you love each other. If the time comes where you no longer have those feelings for each other, then so be it. Live in the moment. You're far too young to be settling down."

Lucas punched his brother's arm. "That's grand coming from you, _little_ brother, seeing you got married at 16."

Nathan smirked as he opened the door to the locker room. "What can I say, I know what I want."

OTWHOTWHOTWH

It was coming down to the final minutes of the game, and despite all the exciting energy in the room, Ravens fans weren't sitting on the edge of their seats. The score was 72-50 with the Ravens on top, as they had been for the entire game. Nathan was on fire, sinking shot after shot. It didn't hurt that he also had a well-practiced team to help him out.

The final buzzard rang and the gymnasium was filled with cheers. Once again, the Ravens had sealed a victory.

Lucas ran quickly into the locker room, leaving his girlfriend befuddled, who came to congratulate him.

Nathan shook hands with some of his teammates before wrapping his arms around his wife, pulling her into a great big bear hug.

"Ew, Nathan, you're all sweaty!" Haley squealed.

Nathan just laughed and lowered his arms loosely to her waist and began talking to Tim.

Suddenly, Lucas came over the announcer's microphone as he stood by the stands with flowers in his hands.

"May I have everyone's attention please."

Haley and Nathan laughed, both knowing exactly what was going on.

"Brooke Davis, will you _please_ be my date to the Homecoming dance next weekend?"  
The crowd of 300 people awed at the gesture as Brooke gave Lucas a big kiss and took the flowers. "Well, since you asked so nicely."

Everybody laughed at her response. The gym then quickly filtered out, and Nathan couldn't help but notice that this was the first game his dad had missed without a real reason to. And he immediately tried to push the thought out of his mind as a slight ache filled his heart.

"Why don't you go shower and I'll wait out here for you," Haley suggested when she saw the far-off look in her husband's eyes.

"Yeah, sure," he replied, giving her one last squeeze before going into the locker room.

OTWHOTWHOTWHOTWH

Nathan laid in bed staring at the ceiling. Haley's body was curled up on him, her head resting comfortably on his chest. Stroking her hair, Nathan struggled to fall back asleep at 6 in the morning.

What his dad had done was really shitty, there was no doubt about it. But Nathan couldn't help that for once in his life, Dan Scott felt remorse. And maybe that's a sign that he was changing.

Nathan sighed. It was all too much to think about.

Getting up, he decided to go make breakfast.

The waffles popped out of the toaster as Nathan finished the omelets, and suddenly he had an idea.

Taking the flowers in the vase on the counter and laying them next to the plates of food, Nathan carefully placed the bacon in the letters 'HC' over the meal and went upstairs.

Haley woke up when she felt something resting in her lap, and was surprised to see the breakfast meal on a tray in front of her. She smiled at her husband, thankful for his thoughtfulness.

Nathan had a goofy smile on his face, waiting for Haley to realize what he was asking her.

"Aw thanks babe! I'm starving!" Haley remarked, sitting up in bed.

Glancing at the food, she looked up to see the grin on her husband's face. Her gaze returned to the food, and noticing the 'hidden' message written in bacon, a grin appeared on her face, too.

Haley grabbed the back of Nathan's neck and pulled him forward to meet her lips in a searing kiss.

"So Haley James, will you go to homecoming with me?"  
Haley giggled at his antics and nodded her head yes.

"Yes!"

If only they had known what would happen at the dance, maybe they would have decided to stay in bed.


End file.
